With World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) Abu Dhabi providing a 2023 curtain-raiser at the start of March, the new World Triathlon season continues to welcome new events to the calendar.
On July 29-30, 2023, WTCS Sunderland takes on the hosting of this year’s UK leg of the international series. Held in the north of England, a Mixed Relay race has now been added to the programme for July 30th. This gives elite athletes and teams a further opportunity to test their squads and set ups ahead of the format’s second Olympic showdown at Paris 2024.
With the World Triathlon Cup circuit already destined for South America later in the season, Brasilia in Brazil is another new addition to the calendar. The standard-distance World Cup race will take place on October 15th, just ahead of the Pan American Games Santiago and the World Cups in Vina Del Mar, Chile, and Montevideo in Uruguay.
The World Triathlon Cup Yeongdo in South Korea, originally planned for May 6-7th, has been rescheduled and will now take place in the second half of the season. This race will form part of the second Olympic qualification period of events, with the event date will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
In addition, Alhandra will host a World Triathlon Para Cup on the west coast of Portugal for the third consecutive year, on the October 7-8th, also forming part of the Paris 2024 Paralympic qualification period.
The World Triathlon Executive Board has also decided that the Paris Test Event, planned to take place on August 17-20, 2023, will also count towards the World Triathlon Championship Series rankings. This season, the best four scores plus the Championship Finals in Pontevedra will count for the overall series rankings.
World Triathlon’s Board has approved to change the 2023 prize money distribution, allocating more money to the WTCS events and the Finals and less to the bonus pool that is distributed at the end of the season. The prize money will also distribute to a wider representation of athletes.
At each WTCS event, US$200,000 will be distributed among the top 30 athletes, while at the Championship Finals pay-outs will go down to 40th place, and for the Bonus Pool until the 35th athlete. In all cases, all prize money will be distributed equally for male and female elite athletes.
In 2023, World Triathlon adds that it will distribute a total of US$3,480,000 in prize money for the World Triathlon Championship Series, Championship Finals, Bonus Pool, Mixed Relay and World Cup circuit, compared to US$2,960,000 distributed last year.
