World Championships in 2020 approved; Zofingen, Brasilia and Chinese WC canceled

World Triathlon Executive Board, on a meeting held via teleconference, has approved some changes on the 2020 calendar, giving the green light to the Elite, U23, Junior and Paratriathlon World Championships to go ahead in 2020, at the end of the year, with venues and dates to be announced shortly. The Board also decided the cancellation of the Zofingen Long Distance Duathlon World Championships, the Brasilia, Chengdu, Weihai and Wenzhou Multisport World Cups, as well as the Lianyungang, Dexing and Shantou Asian Cups.

After reviewing the recommendations from the Athletes, Technical and Coaches Committees, and also after consultations with all National Federations regarding the convenience of organizing this year World Championships for all Elite categories, the Executive Board gave the green light for all of them.

The Elite, U23 and Junior 2020 World Championships were planned initially to take place in the Edmonton Grand Final in August, while the Paratriathlon World Championships was first set to take place in Milan in May and then moved to Montreal in June. The World Triathlon staff, along with organisers and national federations, is now looking at the best available locations and dates for these races to happen. The Mixed Relay World Championships is planned to take place in Hamburg, on September 4-5.

The Executive Board analysed the different circumstances and reports from National Federations and organizing committees regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and decided to support the request from the Zofingen (SUI) organisers to cancel the event, due to take place on September 20. The event, one of the classics in the calendar, will return next year to the Swiss alpine landscape, with the 2021 Powerman Zofingen Duathlon Long Distance World Championships taking place on May 30. 

The COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil has also forced the organisers of the 2020 Brasilia World Cup to cancel the event, initially planned for April but postponed in the early stages of the pandemic. Both the organisers and the National Federation have come to the conclusion that it will not be feasible to organize the race in Brazil this year, but will try to work on an alternative for 2021.

After the announcement of the Chinese government that all the international sport events in the country in 2020 will be cancelled, the Chinese Triathlon Federation has been forced to announce also the cancellation of all the international races in the next few months. That decision includes the Weihai Triathlon World Cup (12-13 September); Chengdu Triathlon World Cup (September 19-20); Wenzhou Multisport World Cup (October 17-18); Lianyungang Asian Cup (September 26); Dexing Asian Cup (October 10) and Shantou Asian Cup (October 31).