Auckland Sets Attendance Record for Triathlon World Champs

3rd October 2012

For immediate release from the Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Auckland, for further details visit www.triauckland.co.nz

AUCKLAND SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD FOR TRIATHLON WORLD CHAMPS

It’s official, the Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Auckland from October 14 to 22nd will be the biggest ever, with 3001 registered to take part in official ITU age group world championship races and a further 760 in fun, participation events (entries open at www.triauckland.co.nz).

The record numbers will begin arriving in the next week or so as athletes acclimatise to the weather and time zone before racing gets underway with the ITU World Aquathlon Championships on Wednesday 17th October, followed by the ITU Sprint and Standard Distance Age Group World Championships on Labour Day Monday 22nd October.

While much of the focus in Auckland will fall on the elite athletes as they chase vital points in their final push for the World Championship and season ending rankings, the eyes of the global triathlon community will also be very much on the age group events, with world titles and rankings on the line in 5 year age brackets for men and women.

Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final CEO Dave Beeche says the response from around the world is testament to the course, the country and the hard work of many people.

“The response has been tremendous with entries from all around the world; it is amazing the commitment of triathletes as to how far they will travel to enjoy a great world championship, which is what we plan on delivering.

“Auckland City and New Zealand can be proud of this achievement. We are of course about as far away from the rest of the world as you can get, but despite the increased challenges that distance brings, we will set a numbers benchmark for all ITU World Championship events.

“The location has played a huge part in this, with a waterfront CBD race course offering a hub for all activity within walking distance of the central city hotels in a safe and welcoming environment. Athletes love the idea of arriving at their hotel and setting up camp, being within a short walk of the race venue, cafes, restaurants, shopping and nightlife has been a big part in our planning and will create a wonderful atmosphere throughout the week.”

Athletes and their supporters are coming from all around the world and not all from the obvious countries either. In total an incredible 45 countries will be represented in Auckland in the age group events with Australia (628), Canada (320), USA (404), Great Britain (464) and Mexico (119) all bringing large teams to New Zealand.

Mexico aside, one of the biggest surprises is the 66 strong team coming from Brazil, well over double the number that attended the Gold Coast World Champs in 2009. And while other teams may be smaller, the presence of sole representatives or small teams from the likes of Zimbabwe, Iran, Egypt, Venezuela, Serbia and Philippines speaks to the increase in depth and popularity of the sport worldwide.

Meanwhile planning continues at a fast pace towards the week-long event which begins with a children’s Weet-Bix Tryathlon at St Heliers on Sunday 14th October and ends with the Age Group World Championship events on Labour Day Monday.

Beeche says everything is on target.

“We are in the home straight so to speak, and in a very detailed stage of planning. The entire team is focused on delivering not only the biggest ever World Championship but the best ever.

“We want this experience to be a great one for everyone, from the international and domestic visitors to Auckland, the elite athletes, the large number of accredited media, our volunteers and the spectators who come to the city to see the action up close and personal.”

All details including course maps, road closures, parking, public transport and a detailed event schedule can be found at www.triauckland.co.nz

Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Championships
Age group representation by nation OD: Olympic distance, SD: Sprint distance

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Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final
October 2012
Auckland City
Facts and figures
Event Partners: Tri NZ, ATEED, Major Events, Tourism NZ, Sport NZ, Pub Charity
Event Hub: Queens Wharf,
Dates: 14 to 22 October 2012
Estimated TV audience: 25,000,000 global audience for ITU Grand Final
Participants: 7,000 plus (including Internationals)
Volunteers: 1,000
Elite: 360 from around the world including top 20
Spectators: 100,000 plus
Courses: A variety of CBD, Queen St, Waterfront
(see www.triauckland.co.nz)
Economic Impact: Estimated net $7 million for Auckland (using ATEED’s “Return on Regional Investment” methodology)

Event Schedule
Sun 14th Oct 9.00am Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon St Heliers
Mon 15th Oct 9:00am Onsite Café & Bar in the Cloud opens The Cloud
Tues 16th Oct 10am-4.00pm Sport & Lifestyle Expo (open daily) Queens Wharf
Wed 17th Oct 10am-4.00pm Sport & Lifestyle Expo (open daily) Queens Wharf
10.00am NZ Elite press conference The Cloud
2.00pm Aquathlon World Champs Queens Wharf
Thu 18th Oct 10am-4.00pm Sport & Lifestyle Expo (open daily) Queens Wharf
5.00pm Opening Ceremony & Parade of Nation Queens Wharf
9am–5.00pm Age Group, Team and 3:5:3 registration Shed 10
Fri 19th Oct 10am-4.00pm Sport & Lifestyle Expo (open daily) Queens Wharf
1.00pm ITU Elite press conference The Cloud
2.00pm – 2.30pm Media Briefing The Cloud
2.30pm – 3.00pm Photographer Briefing The Cloud
9am–5.00pm Age Group, Team and 3:5:3 registration Shed 10
Sat 20th Oct 10am-4.00pm Sport & Lifestyle Expo (open daily) Queens Wharf
7.00am 3:5:3 Solo Triathlon Queens Wharf and CBD
9.15am U23 Women Queens Wharf and CBD
12.16pm Elite Women Queens Wharf and CBD
3.15pm U23 Men Queens Wharf and CBD
Sun 21st Oct 7.00am 3:5:3 Teams Tri Queens Wharf and CBD
11.00am Junior Women (U19) Queens Wharf and CBD
1.06pm Elite Men Queens Wharf and CBD
4.00pm Junior Men (U19) Queens Wharf and CBD
Mon 22nd Oct 6.55am Age Group Sprint WC Queens Wharf/Tamaki Dr
8.30am Age Group Standard WC Queens Wharf/Tamaki Dr
3.15pm Paratriathlon WC Queens Wharf/waterfront
6.30pm Awards Presentation The Cloud
8.30pm Event Party The Cloud
Tues 23rd Oct 10.00am ITU Congress Viaduct Events Centre

ENDS

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