The PTO European Open will return to Ibiza, Spain, next year on September 28-29, 2024, with the title of ‘European Champion’ now at stake for its professional female and male triathletes and age groupers. This is thanks to the PTO’s new partnership with World Triathlon that recognises the 2024 PTO Tour as the official World Championship Tour of long distance triathlon.
“Ibiza is known for its beaches and parties but we also want to be known as a world class sporting destination,” explained Ibizan President Vicent Mari.
“It’s really important for our image and income because we saw when the PTO Tour came to our island at the beginning of May this year it helped create the best start to a summer season in our history.
“The triathlon races brought in 12,000 extra visitors, which in turn helped generate an estimated economic impact of €12.5 million as well as repositioning how people think about us. It will also change when they consider coming to the island, by sending a clear message that we are ‘open for business’ from early spring right through to the autumn, rather than only over the summer months of June, July and August.”
In addition to the PTO Tour professional races that will see the PTO top ranked 20 female and male triathletes compete, the event will also host a PTO European Open 100km race for age groupers. This follows a similar blueprint to the one deployed by the PTO and USA Triathlon in Milwaukee in August 2023.
“We’ve been very clear with our strategy for the PTO Tour,” explained PTO CEO Sam Renouf. “It’s about getting the world’s best triathletes competing head-to-head over our new 100km distance (2km swim/80km bike/18km run) in iconic locations around the world and then broadcast to a global audience.
“Then we build other amateur race opportunities around that, from equivalent 100km races with regional titles at stake for amateurs, to shorter events that create a festival-like atmosphere of swim, bike and run. Last year’s inaugural event proved very successful, so we’re excited to be returning and working with the Spanish Triathlon Federation and Ibiza again.”
Spanish Triathlon Federation’s President, José Hidalgo, said “In the Spanish Triathlon Federation we are very pleased to renew this agreement with the PTO to hold their races in Ibiza.
“Spain has always been a pioneering country, and we have always believed that the collaboration of all the actors and organizers of this sport is paramount to make it bigger and more important.”
Further stages of the 2024 PTO Tour will be announced in the coming months.
