The sport of triathlon is taking action to try to boost its popularity, with hopes of bringing it closer to the level of tennis and golf. A new global circuit will debut in 2027 following an alliance between the international federation and private organizers in an attempt to unify a sport that has been historically fragmented and difficult to follow due to the large number of events worldwide, per the AP. Officials are hoping the new tour will promote mass-participation events, attract new audiences, and enhance the broadcast and digital storytelling of triathlon. There will be greater investment aimed at making the sport a better product for television and easier to showcase on social media in order to land bigger sponsors.
The formal announcement of the new tour is expected by the end of the month. "Our goal is for the sport to be attractive not only for triathlon fans, but to be attractive for [all] sport fans," says Antonio Arimany, president of World Triathlon. "We need to grow the sport to be more attractive to the general public." He adds that "of course, we cannot reach football or [similar] sports because we are not a team sport, but compared to individual sports we need to find a way ... [to] grow in popularity." The sport has traditionally been divided, with the international federation not in charge of the actual organization of events. The competitions have been mostly run by private entities such as Ironman, the biggest in the sport. World Triathlon, meanwhile, oversees the Olympic Games and world championships.
A report prepared by Deloitte highlighted the fragmentation within the triathlon world and the need to create a stronger, more unified competition structure. The presence of multiple companies showed there was interest in investing in the sport, the report said, and channelling those funds to a centralized product was considered crucial—thus the need to try to merge and create a product that's easier to commercialize and grow. World Triathlon is aiming for more live broadcasts to try to strengthen international visibility, with private organizers contributing with their know-how on commercializing the sport.
Prize money is expected to increase, and triathletes will see more standardized branding around events, but there won't be major changes in the competitions themselves. "This partnership is an important step [toward] the long-term sustainability of our sport and, crucially, [toward] expanding opportunities for athletes," says Non Stanford, chair of World Triathlon's athletes committee.
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