Triathlon Mixed Relay continues to draw major attention, having garnered high TV numbers and attracted large crowds at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The news comes on the back of ITU’s most successful Mixed Relay World Championships to date, which was held earlier in July.
“The Mixed Relay Triathlon was a superb addition to the Commonwealth Games programme in Glasgow,” said Mike Hooper, Commonwealth Games Federation CEO. “It was an exciting event and the format was enjoyed by the fans, who turned up in large numbers. The feedback from the media has been also very positive. The extra event is a win for all concerned.”
At its climax, 2.9 million viewers tuned into the BBC to watch the woman-man-woman-man relay in which each athlete completes a mini triathlon.
The Commonwealth Games Women’s Triathlon on Thursday 24 July peaked at just over 2 million views. Later that day the men’s race peaked at 2.6 million for the closing stages at around 16:30.
A spokeswoman at British Triathlon pointed out that “This is well ahead of anything we have had since the Olympic Games” – reaffirming the continuing opportunity to scale up the triathlon TV audience in the UK, and beyond.
The social media campaign #STRIKEAPOSE was also commended by Glasgow 2014 as the best organised campaign by any of the sport. This helped raise a lot of awareness about the Commonwealth Games Triathlon events and likely contributed to the strong TV viewing figures.
“We are extremely pleased with the audience viewership for Mixed Relay,” said BBC’s Lead Executive of Major Events, Ron Chakraborty. “The format is extremely appealing for television with the mix of different athletes and disciplines providing constant entertainment to spectators at home.”
The Mixed Relay was a sold-out ticketed event, and attracted nearly double the number of non-ticketed spectators as the individual races held earlier in the week.
“We are very happy with the continued success of Mixed Relay,” ITU President & IOC Member Marisol Casado said. “The athletes love it, spectators love it, and National Federations are excited about it. This event is positive for the sport of triathlon all the way around.”
With the goal to add Mixed Relay to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic programme, ITU is committed to the continued development of the race. Not only will it appear at the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing this month, as well as at the Asian Games in September, ITU has also added an Under23/Junior Mixed Relay World Championships to the Grand Final agenda in Edmonton this summer.
In reference to getting the event into the Olympics, Mixed Relay Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vicky Holland (GBR) said, “I really hope so, just look at atmosphere that it generates having this tight, fast racing circuit. The lead changes so often, it’s a great spectator event and great for us to be part of it. Having girls and guys in the same race as well, it’s just a bit unique.”
