Europe Triathlon

Last week we had the bad news that two of our races had been cancelled but as we all know, one door closes and another, generally, will open. The great news for ETU and for the athletes and coaches is that two new races on the calendar are not so far away now. Both will be in Scandinavia and, following each other, offer the athletes the great chance to save money by entering both and simply travelling between the two.

First up is the 2016 Malmö ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup. Situated in the southern part of Sweden, once the race has finished there, athletes can travel by car north to Tønsberg in Norway for the 2016 Tønsberg ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup. This will be the last race before the Olympic Games triathlons.

It has been some time since we last had any summer events in the northernmost reaches of Europe but that is not to say they don’t race in the summer. Winter has been the multisport playground for Sweden and Norway in the past but the opportunity to race swim / bike / run has been long established, albeit for a limited summer period.

Both events are offering €10,000 in prize-money and of course there are ETU points to be won to help the athletes along their way to the ETU Ranking Final in Alanya in October.

The work for Malmö started a long time ago but has today moved up a gear or two with the arrival of some of the officials to ensure that everything is in place for this weekend’s racing.

It is good to see that the Swedish Triathlon Federation is fully supporting the LOC in this event. Beth Friberg, President of the Svenska Triathlonforbundet, “The Swedish Triathlon Federation would like to thank the local organising committee, the Municipality of Malmö, all officials and our sponsors for their help in bringing and hosting this European Cup event in Malmö. I encourage all athletes, volunteers, organisers, media and supporters to enjoy the beautiful city of Malmö and the spectacle of our triathlon event. And to those of you who race – good luck!”

The LOC have even identified the best places to eat once you get there.

It is also a great sign of co-operation between the Swedish and Norwegian Federations that they are working together to make it as easy as possible for athletes to get from Malmö to Tønsberg. A door-to-door bus transfer will take you from Sweden up to Norway. Read more and register here.

Check out the event and follow on Facebook and Instagram.

For the event page, please click here.

After Malmö you will have a great welcome to Tønsberg.

Once you get to Norway, why not use the downtime to put in some last-minute training?  The Norwegian Triathlon National team training camp ”Furustrand” will be held prior to the event from Monday 8th August to Saturday 13th August. This is an open training camp and they already have several International athletes who will participate in this camp. There are still have a few vacancies available if anyone wants a fantastic week in Norway. Contact sports director Arild Tveiten:  arild.tveiten@triathlon.no

For the Norwegians, this is a big step. So many fantastic winter triathlon events have been held in Norway. We know that these events are quality but just wait until you see Tønsberg. A tried and tested location that has welcomed athletes of all abilities but this year will see the first showing on the ETU circuit.

For the Mayor of the city of Tønsberg Petter Berg, “Ever since the first Bytri and Nordic championship event in 2013, I`ve always been very excited over the event here in Tønsberg. From the very start this has been the most important triathlon competition in Norway, and the one that attracts the biggest crowd. As Mayor of this pleasant town, I will send you my best wishes. This event has now become one of the great highlights of the season. I hope that Tønsberg never disappoint when it comes to the competition itself, the wonderful crowd, the great weather and the exciting, urban course.  
It is extremely fitting that Norway’s first ever ETU Triathlon European Cup event should take place in Tønsberg. I am proud.  They are one of a few organizers in Norway who really deserve to host such a great competition. I look forward to this event and hopefully becoming an annual tradition.”

For the Federation too there is much excitement. Arild Mjøs Andersen President, Norwegian Triathlon Federation, “The Norwegian Triathlon Federation welcomes all European triathletes to Tønsberg in August! This will be the first time that Norway hosts a European Cup, and we are thrilled to welcome you all to beautiful Tønsberg. Tønsberg is the oldest town in Norway, with roots back to the Viking age. Today, it is a charming seaside town, vibrant with people enjoying the long Scandinavian summer nights and nice climate. 
Tønsberg has been the location for the last Norwegian Sprint Championships, which have been huge successes. You will swim, bike and run in front of thousands of spectators, as the competition is very compact and takes place in the city centre. The whole weekend, Tønsberg will be all about triathlon, and it will be a great party! Welcome to Norway and Tønsberg!”

Check out the race and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For the event page, please click here.

At the moment, the start lists look exciting and with Ukraine’s Yuliya Yelistratova planning to race here in the final preparation for Rio, the LOC and local TV will have added interest. There will also be a live feed to enable you to follow the race. We will publish this closer to the event.

So, check out these two great races and enjoy a Scandinavian triathlon tour.