Chicago to host 2015 Grand Final
After 19 years in a sort of limbo, the United States will once again host the International Triathlon Union’s premier Olympic distance event, as the 2015 World Triathlon Series Grand Final will be held in Chicago.
"We are thrilled to bring the championship final of our World Triathlon Series to Chicago, which has a strong history of hosting world class sporting events," ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado said. "USA Triathlon has also been active in organizing several World Triathlon Series races in the last several years. We are confident their combined experience will produce an excellent World Championship event."
The announcement underlines the long term rapprochement of USA Triathlon with the International Triathlon Union after years of relative estrangement marked by several disputes over policy in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since Cleveland hosted the 1996 ITU single day World Championship, Canada will have staged the prestigious event four times – in 1999 at Montreal, in 2001 in Edmonton, in 2008 at Vancouver and will hold the Grand Final in 2014 in Edmonton – before the prestigious race will return to the U.S.
Progress in the relationship has been marked by the return to the ITU’s premier World Championship Series in Washington D.C. in 2009 and successful appearances on the World Triathlon Series circuit in San Diego in 2012 and 2013. Following a disappointing failed bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Chicago Sports Commission has returned to the international stage and added to its international sports portfolio by winning the bid for this event.
"I am honored to announce Chicago will be joining the ranks of other global cities as a host of the ITU World Triathlon Series, beginning in 2014," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "With our gorgeous Lake Michigan setting, fervor for sports, and international demographics, Chicago is an ideal venue for this illustrious event. We look forward to welcoming these world-class athletes and their fans to Chicago and are certain that they will all have a wonderful time."
In addition to crowning the 2015 elite Grand Final champions, the Chicago event will also settle world champions in the junior, Under 23 and Paratriathlon categories.
The ITU Triathlon World Championships were first held as a one day event in Avignon, France in 1989. The ITU changed the format in 2009, expanding the World Championship into a multi-city global points series which culminated in an ITU World Championship Grand Final. The Grand Final has double points and a larger prize purse, but the championship titles were thereafter decided not in a one day winner take all event but rather by points earned throughout the season.
The 2013 PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final will be held in Hyde Park London September 11-15 on a large part of the 2012 Olympic triathlon course. In this event, the age group world championships will be held at the same site as the elites, albeit on different days. The 2014 World Championship Grand Final will be held in Edmonton, Canada on dates soon to be determined. Potential dates for the Chicago event will be studied at length before any announcement is made.
