The Professional Triathletes Organisation (formerly the Professional Triathlon Union) has announced the creation of The Collins Cup. This is billed as a first of its kind global competition in which teams of professional triathletes from the USA, Europe and the rest of the world (the ‘Internationals’) will compete to determine which region dominates the sport of triathlon. Named after John and Judy Collins, the founders of the original Ironman event in Hawaii that first got underway in 1978, the event will have a long course format.
Tri247.com Editor John Levison has written an expanded feature on this new event after he spoke with Charles Adamo, the Chief Executive Officer of the PTO. In this article, John noted that it is in the interests of the pro athletes to create and develop an event, since they have ownership of it… ‘There is a similar golfing equivalent to the US PGA Championships, which is one of the four Majors.’
USA vs Europe vs Internationals
The PTO has appointed Wasserman as its sole and exclusive agent and executive producer of The Collins Cup. The event will kick-off in 2018 to allow time to negotiate key areas, such as TV broadcasting. Wasserman will handle all aspects of the event on behalf of the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO), including negotiating TV rights, sponsorships, host city bidding and selection and operating the event.
Rich Allen, Executive Director of the PTO, said that, “We are very pleased to be able to announce The Collins Cup to celebrate the sport of triathlon and honour John and Judy Collins, who 40 years ago were instrumental in founding the sport we love so much.”
Modelled after golf’s Ryder Cup, The Collins Cup will be a long distance team competition among USA, Europe and the Internationals. Each team will consist of 12 professional triathletes, six men and six women. Eight athletes will earn a place on their respective teams by way of a PTO World Ranking System, and the remaining four athletes will be selected by each team’s captains. Each team will have two co-captains, one man and one women, who will be ‘former greats in the sport’, and will be selected by a committee of regional representatives appointed by the PTO.
An athlete from each team will battle against one another in an individual race of three, so there will be 12 separate race matches, each staggered 10 minutes apart. Athletes will be awarded points for their team based on performances in their respective race match and the team with the most overall points from the 12 race matches will claim the spoils of The Collins Cup and bragging rights as the most dominant force in the sport. The team that finishes last will receive The Broken Spoke Trophy.
John and Judy Collins remarked, “It is quite incredible really. It is hard for us to believe that our endurance event, which started in Hawaii in the 1970s, with only 15 participants, has now inspired a global spectacle with professional teams from the USA, Europe and the Internationals competing for a trophy named after us. We are humbled and want to thank the Professional Triathletes Organisation for honouring us in this way.”
Matt Wikstrom, Executive Vice President of Endurance at Wasserman, said “With triathlon’s growing participant base, affluent demographics and a rise in health, wellness and living an active lifestyle, The Collins Cup will appeal to a global audience. The event will combine a nationalistic, patriotic fervour with a compelling dramatic format, and we are confident that it will become one of the captivating events on the sporting calendar and one highly sought after in the media market.”
The inaugural Collins Cup will be staged in June 2018, over a Saturday and a Sunday at a host city to be determined. The weekend will be ‘an all-inclusive celebration of the sport of triathlon’. On the Saturday there will be a number of traditional triathlon events of varying lengths in which fans, amateur athletes and professionals not otherwise on a Collins Cup team will race.
There will be a prize purse for professionals in the Saturday races. The Collins Cup team members will be on site during the Saturday races encouraging fans and participants. On the Sunday, the professional teams will take to the course and battle for The Collins Cup. The prize purse for The Collins Cup will be ‘one of the largest in the sport’.
Wasserman is a culture-centric agency, serving some of the best talent, brands and properties in the world. Founded in 2002 with roots in sports and entertainment, Wasserman has evolved beyond those categories. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Wasserman also operates in Carlsbad, Doha, Dubai, London, Miami, The Netherlands, New York, Portland, Raleigh, Sa?o Paulo, Singapore and Toronto.
The Professional Triathletes Organisation is a ‘not-for-profit entity of professional triathletes who seek to celebrate and promote the sport of triathlon.’ As host of The Collins Cup, the PTO will seek to ‘foster the international goodwill, camaraderie and keen competition that are fundamental to the enjoyment and future growth of the sport of triathlon.’
www.thecollinscup.com
www.protriathletes.org
www.teamwass.com
