The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has been teasing its new PTO Tour for a few days now – today we learned the details on the new series of events that, in 2022, will feature “Open” events in Canada and the United States, along with the return of the Collins Cup to Samorin, Slovakia in August.
In 2022 the PTO Tour will include:
- PTO Canadian Open – Edmonton, Canada, 23rd-24th July 2022 – $1m purse
- The Collins Cup – Bratislava, Slovakia, 20-21st August 2022 – $1.5m purse
- PTO US Open – Dallas, Texas, 17-18th September 2022 – $1m purse
In 2023 there will be two more “Open” events added to the schedule in Europe and Asia.
The professional races at these events will include a 2-km swim, 80-km bike and an 18-km run (100 km total). The new PTO Tour will also feature age-group racing, with a 25 km sprint and a 100 km event similar to the pro races offered. Age-group registration opens on Jan. 25, 2022.
All three of the events on the 2022 schedule will feature “world class TV production broadcast live to a global audience and high-quality shoulder programming showcasing the stories of the PTO Professionals,” the PTO writes in a release on the new Tour. Another PTO event taking place this year will be the PTO Pro Am at the Herbalife 24 Los Angeles Triathlon on May 15.
“Established professional sports have long been organized around a professional tour – now it’s triathlon’s turn to step into the limelight,” says PTO CEO Sam Renouf. “We are thrilled to grow our racing calendar from one event in 2021 to three in 2022, with plans already in place to offer a complete world tour calendar in 2023. The global broadcast viewing figures for The Collins Cup surpassed all expectations and demonstrated that there is an appetite for compelling live broadcasts of Triathlon events that appeal not only to the fans of endurance sports, but also to the general sports enthusiast. Our athletes have some of the most compelling stories in sport and we were delighted to give them an ongoing platform to showcase their talents and bring the sport of Triathlon to center stage through world class TV broadcasts.”
“It is great to see the PTO Tour come together,” says two-time Olympic gold medalist and PTO Athlete Board member Alistair Brownlee. “I am very excited for Triathlon to entertain new and existing fans. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Professional Triathletes to raise their profile through global TV coverage and win some meaningful prize money. The PTO is showing that by having professional Triathletes working together and having an equal interest in the success of the Tour, the sport can continue to gain in popularity and reach new audiences.”
