ITU awards 2019 Multisport World Championships to Pontevedra

ITU is pleased to announce that Pontevedra has been awarded the 2019 ITU Multisport World Championships. 

“Creating the Multisport World Championships has been incredibly successful in terms of bidding for events,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “We’ve had a massive interest in hosting the week of championship races with three cities vying for the event in 2019, and our 2017 and 2018 locations already confirmed. This is a very encouraging sign that triathlon is moving in the right direction and our growth is continuing to expand.”

The Multisport World Championships will see duathlon, long distance triathlon, aquathlon and cross triathlon championship races organized together during a week-long festival. This ground-breaking event now allows for athletes to compete in various multisport races, as opposed to electing only one each season.

Pontevedra, the home of five-time World Champion Javier Gomez, is a seasoned host of triathlon events, having hosted three Premium European Cups, as well as the 2011 ETU Triathlon European Championships. Most recently, the Spanish city organized the 2014 ITU Duathlon World Championships.

“Just as in previous occasions when we have hosted triathlon events in Ponetevdra, we are once again delighted to welcome such a broad community to our city,” said Pontevedra Mayor Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores. “We will, as always, endure in offering all possibilities for athletes to enjoy Pontevedra in its entire dimension, with its natural scenery, its historic center and its beautiful river. I am certain that the whole city will get behind this global event”.

The Spanish Triathlon Federation will again host the Duathlon World Championships in 2016 in Aviles. This combination of experience will make Pontevedra well suited to welcome the 2019 Multisport World Championships.

“We are very grateful for this designation, as Pontevedra has a strong bond with our sport, which was seen in the numerous competitions held here both nationwide and internationally,” said José Hidalgo, President of the Spanish Triathlon Federation. “Pontevedra is a venue that feels and breathes the values and challenges of triathlon.”

In 2017, Penticton, Canada will organize the first Multisport World Championships, and the 2018 edition will head to Odense, Denmark.