WA to host 1997 World Triathlon Championships

11/11/95

Western Australia has won the right to host the 1997 World Triathlon Championships and World Teams Concept - events which will form a week-long 'Triathlon Festival' in the State.

Premier Richard Court said more than 2,000 athletes from around the world were expected to compete in the Triathlon events, (swim, cycle, run), in November 1997. The 'Festival of Triathlon' would become an annual event on the WA sporting calendar.

"This is a major sporting coup for the State," Mr Court said.

"Not only will Perth host the world's best triathletes, but another major annual event will be created for WA.

"WA's successful bid was due to Eventscorp's strategy to maximise the opportunities presented by the Sydney 2000 Olympics, as elite athletes and international sporting federations look for opportunities to acclimatise, train and compete in Australian conditions.

"This is the fourth Olympic sport world championship that WA has won since the Olympic 2000 announcement.

"All Western Australians can be proud of our growing international reputation for staging major events and the many opportunities these events present for promoting our State as a tourism destination."

The Premier said that in addition to the tourism exposure, the Triathlon World Championships were expected to bring economic benefits to the State of almost $10 million.

The successful bid was presented to the International Triathlon Union (ITU) by Eventscorp, a division of the WA Tourism Commission responsible for attracting and staging major international events, with the support of Triathlon Australia.

It was ratified today by the ITU at the 1995 Triathlon World Championships in Cancun, Mexico.

ITU President Les McDonald, speaking in Cancun, said the ITU was very impressed with the facilities and experience of managing and marketing major events that WA had to offer.

"Once we took into account the number of Australian triathletes competing at the elite level, the popularity of triathlon in Australia and the fact that triathlon will be a full medal sport in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, it was very easy to award the 1997 World Championships to Australia," Mr McDonald said.

The Triathlon World Championships will be based around the centre of Perth, with the Esplanade as the transition zone.

The swimming leg will be held in the Swan River. The cycling leg will follow Riverside Drive before turning into the City, skirting Kings Park and then returning along Mounts Bay Road. The run will involve a course along the river, through the city to Kings Park and back to the Esplanade for the finish.

"The course is designed to ensure that as many people as possible will be able to see the event, while the worldwide television coverage will be showing some of the best possible images of Perth," Mr Court said.