USA Triathlon (USAT) has extended its partnership with Toyota as the organization’s Exclusive Mobility & Automotive Partner. The company will directly support USA Triathlon’s top elite athletes in the lead-up to the postponed Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer and will continue its support for the Toyota US Paratriathlon National Team.
“Over the last two years, Toyota has raised the bar for our paratriathlon program in unprecedented ways – helping increase visibility and awareness, but also professionalizing the sport for the United States’ top elite paratriathletes,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with Toyota through the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, while collaborating on innovative age-group and grassroots initiatives.”
Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager, Olympic and Paralympic Marketing, Toyota Motor North America, said “Since 2019, we’ve worked closely with USA Triathlon in support of their athletes, members, and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.
“We’re looking forward to continuing our support of the paratriathlon program as well as the US Paratriathlon National Team. In addition, our extended partnership will allow us to collaborate more at the grassroots level and to support key Triathlon and Paratriathlon events across the US.”
As USA Triathlon’s mobility partner, Toyota provides two vehicles to USA Triathlon: one dedicated to the US Paratriathlon Resident Team, and another for use by the Colorado Springs-based national office.
In addition to its support of Olympic and Paralympic programs, Toyota also engages with events and programs for USA Triathlon’s age-group community. Toyota will continue to serve as the title partner for USA Triathlon’s largest and longest-running owned event, the Toyota USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships (sprint- and Olympic-distance), set for August 2021 in Milwaukee.
Beginning in 2021, Toyota will also be the title partner for the Toyota Legacy Triathlon, which includes the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships as well as an age-group triathlon and open water swim competition.
The Legacy Triathlon, launched in 2019 and hosted by USA Triathlon, is held in Long Beach, California, at the proposed triathlon venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
In addition to the Toyota Age Group National Championships, Paratriathlon National Championships and Legacy Triathlon, the company will support USA Triathlon’s full calendar of 2021 and 2022 National Championships, encompassing other owned (Collegiate Club, Duathlon, Youth & Junior) and non-owned events.
USAT adds that ‘Toyota’s involvement and activations through local dealerships will be designed to provide added value to participants and enhance the overall race-day experience.’
Finally, the partnership will continue to include original content creation and media integration to communicate Toyota’s mobility message, as well as tell inspirational stories of elite and amateur triathletes alike.
‘Toyota is the most popular vehicle among triathletes, with USA Triathlon annual members reporting that they drive Toyota vehicles more than any other brand.’
A member of The Olympic Programme (TOP) through 2024, Toyota is an official partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC), as well as the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
In its first two years as a Founding Partner of USA Triathlon, Toyota showed commitment to the paratriathlon program – serving as the title partner for the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships and combining with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and USA Triathlon to offer the first-ever professional prize purse for the event in 2019.
Toyota is also the title partner of the US Paratriathlon National Team, US Paratriathlon Development Team and US Paratriathlon Resident Team at the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
In June, the company supported the Toyota US Paratriathlon Resident Team in its ‘Operation CO>COVID’ Ride Across Colorado, a relay-style bike ride that raised funds for the USA Triathlon Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund and the Care & Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado.
Toyota provided a Tundra for use as the ride’s official support vehicle, and a Montrose, Colorado-based Toyota dealership offered its building as a meeting point and support station along the route.
Toyota also individually sponsors two elite paratriathletes as part of Team Toyota: Melissa Stockwell, an Army veteran and 2016 US Paralympic bronze medallist in paratriathlon; and Brad Snyder, a Navy veteran and five-time Paralympic champion in swimming who is targeting paratriathlon in Tokyo.
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