The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has appointed Challenge Family as its local organising committee (LOC) to deliver the second annual Collins Cup on 20-21 August 2022 at the x-bionic sphere sports resort in Šamorín, Slovakia.
The Collins Cup is the second race of the new PTO Tour, which also consists of the PTO Canadian Open and the PTO USA Open in 2022 – with the PTO Asian Open and the PTO European Open being added in 2023. It will see leading pro male and female triathletes competing in Slovakia for a prize purse of US$1,500,000.
The inaugural Collins Cup, modelled after the Ryder Cup, saw three teams of Internationals, European, and USA athletes pitted against one another in 12 race matches.
This year, the Collins Cup will also introduce age group racing over the 100km distance as well as a relay option, giving amateurs an opportunity to meet and race alongside some of the world’s best PTO professionals from Team Europe, Team US and Team Internationals.
The professional men’s race and women’s race will take place on Saturday 20th August, over a 100km distance. This comprises a 2km freshwater swim in the Danube river, a 80km fast and flat bike leg and a 18km run over a variety of different terrain in the countryside surrounding the x-bionic sphere in Šamorín.
Age group athletes will then take to the closed-roads course on Sunday to experience it for themselves.
Age Group registration will open on 25th January at 09:00 EST. Entry to age group racing is accessed via events.protriathletes.org/pto-tour.
In 2021, due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic, the Collins Cup took place alongside Challenge Family’s The Championship. However, in 2022, the Collins Cup will be run independently with PTO appointing Challenge Family as the LOC to deliver the professional race as well as the new addition of age group racing.
The Collins Cup will have the same TV production broadcast as last year shown live to a global audience as well as shoulder programming showcasing the stories of the PTO Professionals including PTO World number one athletes Lucy Charles Barclay and Gustav Iden.
Sam Renouf, CEO of PTO, said “We are delighted to partner with Challenge Family and the x-bionic sphere to deliver The Collins Cup in year two.
“Our very first Collins Cup last year showcased our tremendous professionals to a cumulative global audience of close to 7 million triathlon fans across live and highlights with close to 1000 hours of broadcast coverage aired live and on demand in over 165 countries, 22 languages, covering 400 million households.
“We are thrilled that so many people around the world consumed the inaugural Collins Cup. By staying in Šamorín at the x-bionic sphere we can utilise our learnings and deliver an even better event broadcast to build a wider fan base.”
Jort Vlam, CEO at Challenge Family, said “We are delighted to be appointed as the LOC for the Collins Cup in year two, building on the success of last year’s inaugural event. The host venue of x-bionic sphere is Challenge Family’s second home and our expertise at delivering world-class triathlons at this venue is unrivalled.
“Our commitment to #allabouttheathlete will ensure both age group and elite racing will provide the best experience possible for all athletes. With some positive changes made to the course and format, we are very much looking forward to working with the PTO and x-bionic sphere to help take triathlon to a global audience.”
Michal Kraus, General Manager at x-bionic sphere, added “It was truly an honour for everyone in our official Olympic training centre to host the inaugural event of the Collins Cup in 2021.
“We are genuinely excited that The Collins Cup will return again in 2022 to our premises. We guarantee the top ranked PTO athletes, every single participating age-group athlete and all the spectators that we will raise the bar of expectations a little higher to celebrate the performances in our beautiful sport of triathlon.”
