Multisport enthusiasts and sports fans nationwide across the US will witness the excitement of world-class triathlon first-hand when Universal Sports televises the second and final qualifier for the 2012 US Olympic Triathlon Team – the ITU World Triathlon San Diego, which will be held on 11-12 May.
Universal Sports will air two two-hour, tape-delayed programs – one dedicated to the women’s race airing on 19 May and one covering the men’s race on 20 May. Following the initial television broadcasts, both races will re-air on Universal Sports on to-be-determined dates.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with USA Triathlon to be the exclusive national television broadcaster for the ITU World Triathlon in San Diego,” said David Sternberg, CEO of Universal Sports. “Adding this high-profile international event to our robust lineup of Olympic, endurance and adventure sports programming further demonstrates the value of Universal Sports to our viewers and business partners.”
“We are delighted to have Universal Sports as our domestic partner for this world-class event,” said Dennis Spencer, Executive Vice President of Lagardère Unlimited, which is partnering with USA Triathlon (USAT) to produce the event. “We know that the viewers of Universal Sports on all their platforms will find the competition compelling. The ITU World Triathlon Series and Universal Sports are perfect partners.”
One of just eight ITU World Triathlon Series events in 2012, the elite races in San Diego will serve as the second of two qualifying events to determine the 2012 United States Olympic Men’s and Women’s Triathlon Team. The third and final spot for the US Women’s Olympic Triathlon Team will be on the line, while no US male athlete has yet earned a spot on Team USA entering the San Diego event. A top-nine overall finish by an American will punch an automatic spot on the 2012 US Olympic Team.
The event also will play a key role in determining the Olympic squads for a number of other nations, as it is the second-to-last ITU World Triathlon Series event prior to the closing of the ITU’s 2012 Olympic qualification window at the end of May. The women’s elite race will be held on Friday 11 May at 15:00 local time, followed by the men on Saturday 12 May at 14:30. The Olympic-distance (1,500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run) elite races are comprised of 65 athletes per gender.
Set for the morning of Saturday 12 May, top-flight Olympic- and sprint-distance age group races, as well as an Olympic-distance relay, will offer amateurs the chance to compete in the same epic venue as the world’s best athletes.
In addition to the ITU World Triathlon San Diego, Universal Sports Network is home to the entire eight-race ITU World Triathlon Series, which includes the women’s and men’s races in Sydney, Australia (14-15 April); Madrid, Spain (26-27 May); Kitzbühel, Austria (23-24 June); Hamburg, Germany (21-22 July); Stockholm, Sweden (25-26 August); Yokohama, Japan (29-30 September) and the Grand Final in Auckland, New Zealand (20-21 October).
Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners LP, is the premier multi-platform media destination for Olympic-related sports programming in the United States. Offering more than 1,200 hours of original programming each year, Universal Sports has exclusive rights to world and national championship events in a wide array of sports, including swimming, track and field, gymnastics, cycling, skiing, figure skating and rugby.
Whether on television, online, or on the go with mobile and tablet applications, Universal Sports offers a four-screen experience to fans of global sports every day of the year.
