Sardinia will host the inaugural TriStar222 long distance triathlon on 3 October 2010. TriStar222 Sardinia Arzachena Costa Smeralda is situated in one of the most beautiful areas of Italy: the Emerald Coast.
The race over a total distance of 222K comprises a 2K swim, 200K of cycling and 20K running, attracting 22 professionals and athletes representing 24 nations. The race cooperates with a local cancer association as well as the University of Sassari for a project on the economic impact of sports tourism.
“TriStar222 Sardinia offers one of my favourite cycling routes, attractive from the standpoint of scenery and at the same time challenging in terms of racing, thanks to the rolling landscapes. The hilly layout will enable all athletes to compete in agility and strength, and at the same time it will make the competition even more exciting,” said Italian triathlon champion Martina Dogana, who has participated in developing the race in Sardinia.
TriStar222 Sardinia is a race format attracting triathletes representing 24 nationalities and from such far-away places as Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the US. The strongest participation comes from home country Italy with 20% of the athletes. 16% will travel from Germany, 12% from the United Kingdom and 11% from France.
TriStar222 Sardinia raises awareness for the fight against cancer in cooperation with Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG foundation and encourages athletes as well as spectators to donate money either on the day, or online.
The race also collects donations for the Associazione Medico Scientifica di Oncologia ‘Paolo Secchi’, an association of medical scientists of the hospital of Olbia.
Meanwhile, a cooperation with the University of Sassari for a project ‘The economic impacts of tourism and sporting events’ has been established. The project will be piloted by Prof. Giacomo Del Chiappa, researcher of tourism marketing at the University of Sassari.
TriStar222 Sardinia Arzachena Costa Smeralda is organised by I AM SPORT Events & Consulting, a Milan-based company founded by Andrea Vasco, Marco Galliena and Stefano Leone. The region of Sardinia is supporting the event. In addition, FITRI (Italian Triathlon Federation), Road Runner Club Milan and Oscar Petroboni – technical delegate for the Beijing Olympics 2008 and Member of the Technical Commission of ETU (European Triathlon Union) will collaborate with a view to making the event a success.
The TriStar label is owned by Star Production, a Monaco based company specialised in organising ‘high quality sports events that are focused on fun, social responsibility and environmental protection’. A portion of each entry fee is donated automatically to Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG foundation, and each event applies the 4vita programme to reduce the environmental impact of sports events.
www.tristar222sardinia.com
www.star-events.cc
www.iam-events.it
www.sardegnaturismo.it/en
