For some time now, rumors have been circulating in triathlon circles that the PTO and World Triathlon are pushing for the T100 distance – consisting of a 2km swim, 80km bike, and 18km run – to become an Olympic discipline, alongside the existing Olympic Distance. An interview given by World Triathlon President Antonio Arimany to City A.M. now confirms that hopes are firmly set on introducing this new event at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
That the Los Angeles 2028 Games would come too soon to add a Long Distance triathlon event to the Olympic program had already seemed evident. However, Arimany’s comments in the interview with City A.M. – a British digital media outlet and free newspaper focused on business and financial news in London – make it clear that Brisbane, 2032, is the targeted milestone.
Late last year, it also emerged that the PTO and World Triathlon are planning a major overhaul of their competition structures with the introduction of a so-called Triathlon World Tour. As part of this restructuring, the traditional Olympic Distance (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run), currently raced in the WTCS, will be rebranded as T50 races from 2027 onward. These T50 events will be combined with a newly defined Challenger Series — including World Triathlon Cups and Continental Cups — as well as the already established T100 races, creating an overarching global race circuit of around 100 events.
The Olympic Distance, soon to be known as T50, has been part of the Olympic program for many years. The ambition now is for the T100 to be added alongside it. Combined with the already Olympic Mixed Team Relay, this would result in three Olympic triathlon events per gender at the Games.
Whether the T100 will ultimately become an Olympic discipline remains to be seen. According to Arimany, the next step lies with the International Olympic Committee, which is currently working on new criteria for sports and disciplines seeking inclusion in the Olympic program.