International Triathlon Union opens bidding for World Cups & Multisport World Championship Festival

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has opened bidding for the 2016 Triathlon World Cup season, as well as the 2019 and 2020 ITU Multisport World Championship Festival.

"Hosting an ITU event offers cities the opportunity to promote a healthy lifestyle to its citizens while also showcasing their city to a global audience," said ITU President & IOC Member Marisol Casado. "We are in a healthy position that so many cities want to host events & be able to plan calendars years in advance."

ITU Triathlon World Cup events provide world class racing for athletes pursing entry to the ITU World Tritathlon Series, as well as offer qualification points for the Olympic Games and other Major Games.

Cities interested in hosting an event must submit their bid to ITU by July 15, 2015. The winning cities will be announced in September. While ITU accepts bids for World Cup races annually, local organising committees have the opportunity to present a multi-year bid.

The bid document for hosting a World Cup event is available here.

In 2017, Penticton, Canada will organize the first Multisport World Championships Festival, which will see all championship multisport races including duathlon, long distance triathlon, aquathlon and cross triathlon, organized together during a week-long festival.

This ground-breaking event now allows for athletes to compete in various multisport races, as opposed to electing only one. With the 2018 event also awarded to Odense, Denmark, ITU now opens bidding for the 2019 and 2020 versions of the Festival.

The bid document for hosting a Multisport World Championship Festival is here.

In the final year in which multisports will be conducted at stand-alone World Championships events, the following dates have been confirmed for 2016:

2016 Aviles ITU Duathlon World Championships: June 4-5, 2016

2016 Oklahoma ITU Long Distance Triathlon World: September 24-25

2016 Lake Crackenback ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships: November 19-20

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