ITU today announced a revamp of the World Triathlon Series for the 2014 season. In addition to the WTS ranking system change, ITU also revealed qualification procedures for the 2014 Mixed Relay World Championships.
Beginning in 2014, athletes will be able to score at five, as opposed to four, of the seven World Triathlon Series events in addition to the Grand Final. As in previous years, the amount of points awarded for each race will remain equal at 800 points, with the Grand Final again offering 1200 points.
The change was made following an extensive discussion with various stakeholders such as athletes, coaches, local organizing committees and National Federations to further incentivize athletes to compete at WTS races.
The 2014 WTS season begins in Auckland on April 5-6 and for the first time ever will take place on all five continents when it debuts in Cape Town, South Africa. The tour then continues to Yokohama, London, Chicago, Hamburg and Stockholm before concluding with the Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada from August 26-September 2.
Following the extreme popularity of the 2013 Mixed Relay World Championships in Hamburg, the championship event will again be held following the Hamburg World Triathlon on July 13. The host nation of Germany automatically qualifies for the race, as do the top 11 teams from the 2013 World Championships, excluding the host nation.
The top Continental Championship teams, excluding those already invited or have qualified, will be able to line up at the prestigious team race. A maximum of 20 teams will be permitted at the event, with the qualification period ending 60 days prior to the championship race.
