The International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, as a stop on the 2020 ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup circuits. The races are set for March 22 at Nathan Benderson Park, a 600-acre community park operated by the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Inc. (SANCA).
The event falls within the ITU Olympic and Paralympic qualification window, allowing athletes to earn valuable points toward both individual ranking and country quotas for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Elite triathletes and paratriathletes will compete on a spectator-friendly 750-meter swim, 18.3-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run course. The prize purse for the elite races is $60,000.
The Florida city returns to the ITU World Cup calendar after hosting the 2017 and 2018 Sarasota-Bradenton Triathlon Festivals, which were inclusive of ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cups in addition to age-group races. Nathan Benderson Park has also held ITU Continental Cup (CAMTRI) events annually since 2013.
“USA Triathlon is proud to bring the ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup circuits back to the United States for 2020,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “We look forward to hosting elite talent from around the world, while offering a home-country race for U.S. athletes in an Olympic and Paralympic year. Nathan Benderson Park has a long history of hosting world-class multisport events, and we are grateful to our local partners at SANCA for their continued support.”
“We are proud to solidify Nathan Benderson Park’s role in the Olympic movement by hosting an ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup, in which many athletes will look to earn qualification points on their road to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020,” said Stephen Rodriguez, President and CEO of SANCA. “This will come just a month prior to us hosting the U.S. Olympic Trials for rowing. We appreciate our continued partnership with ITU and USA Triathlon in hosting these amazing triathletes from throughout the world.”
A total of 22 ITU World Cup events have been held on U.S. soil since 1991. The nation has hosted several other international events as part of the ITU schedule, including five ITU World Triathlon Series races: Washington, D.C. in 2009, San Diego in 2012-13 and Chicago in 2014-15, which served as the host city for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and Age Group World Championships.
The Sarasota-Bradenton race is one of three 2020 ITU World Cups to be contested in the Americas, joining Brasilia, Brazil (April 5), and Huatulco, Mexico (April 26). It is the only 2020 ITU Paratriathlon World Cup in the Americas.
In addition to the ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup schedules, the ITU also announced the host cities and dates for the 2020 ITU World Paratriathlon Series and the 2020 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships. The 2020 ITU World Triathlon Series calendar was announced earlier this year and is available by clicking here.
2020 ITU Triathlon World Cup Schedule
Feb. 15-16: Cape Town, South Africa
March 14-15: Mooloolaba, Australia
March 21-22: Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida
March: 28-29: New Plymouth, New Zealand
April 4-5: Brasilia, Brazil
April 25-26: Huatulco, Mexico
May 9-10: Chengdu, China
May 23-24: Osaka, Japan
May 30-31: Arzachena, Italy
June 20-21: Antwerp, Belgium
July 4-5: Tiszaujvaros, Hungary
Aug. 29-30: Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Sept. 12-13: Weihai, China
Oct. 17-18: Tongyeong, South Korea
Oct. 24-25: Miyazaki, Japan
2020 ITU Paratriathlon Schedule
March 29-Feb. 1: 29 Devonport, Australia (ITU World Paratriathlon Series)
March 7-8: Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
March 21-22: Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
May 2-3: Milan (ITA) – (ITU Paratriathlon World Championships)
May 16-17: Yokohama, Japan (ITU World Paratriathlon Series)
June 13-14: Besancon, France (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
June 20-21: Montreal, Canada (ITU World Paratriathlon Series)
October. 3-4: Alanya, Turkey (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
About Nathan Benderson Park and Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates: Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates Inc. (SANCA) is a not-for-profit 501c3 business created to manage Nathan Benderson Park, a community/public asset and world-class, multi-use sports venue. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our community and be an economic generator for our region. SANCA’s primary purpose is to develop and promote NBP as a world-class event center, team training site and Sarasota County park, while providing outreach programs through recreation, safety training, education and volunteering as a service to our community. For more information, see nathanbendersonpark.org/about-us/sanca-mission.
About USA Triathlon: USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors – as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation – USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
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