The opening round of the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Series takes place next weekend. The first round is set for Abu Dhabi next Saturday, 7 March and will be followed by another eight rounds before the 2015 ITU World Champions are decided at the Grand Final in Chicago in September.
In order to be crowned ITU World Champions, athletes need to complete five of the nine rounds, and the Grand Final. The Series will visit five continents, and visit the London 2012 Olympic Triathlon venue, Hyde Park, on 31 May.
The elite women will open the 2015 Series in Abu Dhabi at 3pm local time next week (11am in the UK), followed by the men two hours later. Both races take place over the sprint distance (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run).
The ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi will be televised by the BBC and triathlontv.org, as will every round of the Series. Live coverage from Abu Dhabi is available on the BBC Red Button, followed by a highlights package.
ITU World Triathlon Series 2015
7 March - ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi
29 March - Barfoot & Thompson World Triathlon Auckland
11 April - ITU World Triathlon Gold Coast
25-26 April - Discovery World Triathlon Cape Town
16 May - ITU World Triathlon Yokohama
31 May - Vitality World Triathlon London - Sprint Distance
18-19 July - ITU World Triathlon Hamburg - Sprint Distance
22-23 August - Vattenfall World Triathlon Stockholm - Sprint Distance
5-6 September - ITU World Triathlon Edmonton - Sprint Distance
15-20 September - ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago
The ITU World Paratriathlon Event Series starts on the earlier date of 1 March 2015 and continues as detailed below:
ITU World Paratriathlon Event Series
1 March: East London ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (RSA)
13 March: Sunshine Coast ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (AUS)
10 May: Madrid ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (ESP)
16 May: Yokohama ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (JPN)
30 May: London ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (GBR)
7 June: Besançon ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (FRA)
19 July: Iseo - Franciacorta ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (ITA)
15-16 August: Detroit ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (USA)
5-6 September: Edmonton ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (CAN)
15-20 September: Chicago ITU World Paratriathlon Championships (USA)
