The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has announced that the duathlon competition of the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia, slated for 26-27 July will now act as the 2013 ITU Duathlon World Championships for elite athletes, replacing the previous host city Segovia.
This latest move helps to put duathlon further on the map, and follows ITU’s recent continuation of its deal with Powerman to stage the 2012 and 2013 ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships.
The World Games, first held in 1981, are a major international multisport event held every four years for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The World Games are under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and many sports included in previous World Games later achieved Olympic Games status including triathlon, which was part of the 1993 edition held in The Hague, Netherlands.
“It is always a great thrill being accepted onto the programme of a major Games, especially for an emerging sport like duathlon that has great potential,” said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. “We are excited the World Games has welcomed duathlon and we look forward to a wonderful Games in 2013.”
Duathlon appears in the World Games for the first time in 2013 with high hopes of remaining on the programme in the future.
The event will follow the standard ITU duathlon distance of 10K run, 40K bike, 5K run and the qualification criteria are as follows:
- Qualifier events are the 2012 Nancy ITU Duathlon World Championships and the last Continental Championships held in the period of 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013
- ITU Duathlon Ranking will also be used, which includes any other ITU Duathlon events as well as National Championships communicated to ITU
As Segovia will no longer host the 2013 ITU Duathlon World Championships, a new venue is being explored for all non-elite categories, such as age-group sprint and standard, junior, Under23 and paratriathletes.
