The 2011 Lausanne ITU (International Triathlon Union) Team Triathlon World Championships is gaining momentum, with more than two dozen teams having already registered interest in the event.
In all, 28 nations have confirmed participation, with several nations indicating that they may send multiple teams. Teams from every continent have registered interest for the competition, aiming to take the title away from Switzerland which has won the title for the past two years.
From the Americas, Canada, USA, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico have all confirmed participation. Mexico, Brazil and Argentina are additions from the 2010 event. China, Hong Kong and Korea are all Asian teams that have stated their interest in participating.
Europe is represented this year by 17 different nations. Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia and Ireland are all new teams for 2011. Teams making a return for a second year to Lausanne include France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Hungary, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine.
From Oceania, Australia and New Zealand will be present at the event again, while South Africa will also send a team.
The official team format adopted for the ITU World Championships is the 4 x Mixed Relay. Each team comprises of two men and two women. Each athlete completes a super-sprint triathlon of swimming, biking and running, before tagging off to their next team mate.
The distances for the 2011 ITU Team Triathlon Championships in Lausanne event are 4 x (275m swim, 6K bike, 1.5K run). The order of the team members are fixed, with first and third team members being women; and the second and fourth are men. Each nation is free to decide the make-up of its team.
According to ITU, its Team Triathlon format is’ racing at its most thrilling. It’s energetic, exciting, uncompromising and action-packed.’
The 2011 ITU Team Triathlon World Championships will take place in Lausanne on Sunday 21 August. With the world’s best athletes also on site for the ITU Sprint Triathlon World Championships, it is set to witness some spectacular fast-paced racing.
The 2011 event will be broadcast internationally on many of the world’s largest broadcasters and will be also available to watch live on www.triathlonlive.tv.
