The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon have announced that the T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will take place in Dubai from November 16-17, and complete the 2024 T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar for its inaugural season.

“Given the huge interest we’ve seen in Dubai and its iconic setting, we have decided to announce that this will be the series finale, and we’ll crown our first World Champions in Dubai,” said PTO CEO Sam Renouf.

“Dubai will be our largest event of the year, with over 10,000 participants set to compete across a range of distances and individual disciplines.

“Combining that scale with the stunning backdrop of Meydan racecourse and the Dubai skyline, means we’ll be finishing our inaugural year with a bang.”

The Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will be an integral part of the month-long 2024 Dubai Fitness Challenge, a city-wide initiative that challenges residents and tourists to commit to 30 minutes of daily activity for 30 days, to help kick start long-term healthy habits.

The Dubai Fitness Challenge has become a significant part of the city’s fitness culture over recent years, and a gateway to a more active, fitter future, inspiring thousands to take up new activities, improve their health, and connect with others through shared fitness goals, a statement said.

In addition to crowning the first T100 World Champions, which is officially recognised by the sport’s international governing body, World Triathlon, the Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will determine the final split of the record $7 million prize fund, with $250k being awarded at the race, and a further $2 million for the season-long competition.

“We are proud to have partnered with the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) to launch this new series, and to see the highest level of long-distance racing in an officially sanctioned World Championship Tour, in the same way the World Triathlon Championship Series supports standard distance Triathlon,” said Marisol Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC Member.

“Dubai is set to be a fantastic conclusion to the series.”

As a result of this change, the obligated number of races for athletes has been reduced from five to four, plus the Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final.

“One of the key tenets of the T100 Triathlon World Tour was to evolve triathlon by bringing a season-long narrative to the sport,” said PTO Chairman Chris Kermode.

“This is based on the simple premise behind all sports - fans want to see the best of the best competing, consistently, throughout the year. We are thrilled that the T100 has delivered this for Triathlon in our inaugural season and will be announcing 2025 calendar dates very soon.” – TradeArabia News Service