Canada will host the 2012 PATCO Paratriathlon Championships on Friday, 6 July, as part of the Edmonton Triathlon Festival running 6-8 July Triathlon Canada and the Local Organising Committee, Edmonton Triathlon Academy announced the PATCO awarded event jointly today.

Athletes from the Americas in all para classifications will battle it out for a cash prize purse while they continue to hone their skills in preparation for paratriathlon’s debut at the 2016 Paralympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“Edmonton celebrated the successful return of ITU World Cup triathlon racing last year, and we are delighted to build on our proud history of staging world-class events by adding the stand-alone PATCO paratriathlon race into this year’s festival,” said Sheila O’Kelly, executive director, Edmonton Triathlon Academy. “We look forward to making Edmonton an annual paratriathlon stop on the world cup circuit, commencing in 2013”

The 2012 PATCO Paratriathlon Championships will also serve as the 2012 Canadian Paratriathlon National Championships. The championships week, July 1 to 8, will include a paratriathlon camp with series of paratriathlon seminars open to all athletes, coaches and technical officials. The camp will be designed and presented by Triathlon Canada and supported by ITU Sport Department.

“Since paratriathlon was introduced into the Paralympic line-up, Triathlon Canada has committed to playing a leading role in the development of the sport in an effort to ensure its successful debut at the 2016 Games in Rio,” said Larry McMahon, operations director, Triathlon Canada, who added “Edmonton’s world cup venue is an ideal venue for paratriathlon with athletes having easy access to accommodation and training facilities at the University of Alberta.  It is our goal to build on the culture of triathlon excellence rooted in Canada, and ensure our athletes are fully-prepared to charge for the Paralympic podium.”

The PATCO Paratriathlon Championships will be a test event for ITU Paratriathlon World Cups commencing in 2013 en route to the Rio Games.

The Edmonton Triathlon Festival schedule:

July 2-8: Paratriathlon Camp and Seminars.
July 6: PATCO Paratriathlon Championship
July 6: Open ITU Mixed Relay
July 7: Kinetico Kids of Steel
July 8: 2012 Canadian Age Group Championships at both Sprint and Olympic Distances with the chance to qualify for the 2013 World Championship in London
IMMUNITY FX ITU World Cup Sprint Triathlon
PATCO Junior Championships

For more information on the Edmonton Triathlon Festival, please visit http://edmontontriathlon.org/

For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan  
Media and Public Relations
Triathlon Canada
T: 281-703-4394