Abu Dhabi International Tri now an ITU WTS event

coL

It has just been announced that the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is to become an ITU World Triathlon Series event for 5 years from 2015 onwards.

One of the things that made the ADIT unique and challenging was the courses and the distances involved. With this announcement it now looses these and becomes just a standard Sprint/Olympic distance event. To me it has now lost what made it interesting and is just another Sprint/Olympic event the same as many others that can be done anywhere else in the world with nothing to set it apart.

I would be interested in gettin people's opinion on what they think the Abu Dhabi Triathlon, or any other triathlon for that matter, gains by becoming an ITU event when it is already well established and has a big following as well as a unique selling point? Obviously this is aimed more at the average athlete as the elites will benefit from prize money and ranking points.

http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/abu_dhabi_added_to_2015_wts_schedule

Fazz

Whilst I agree it suggests the original long distance may convert, it is not 100% clear and this is only the ITU statement.

It's still possible that the Long Distance Event will go ahead shortly after unless you've seen other communication from Abu Dhabi Tri confirming this?

The race would normally be open by now and the current site does not indicate any race day etc, but that could be due to them confirming the ITU date first to ensure no clash.

Regarding your question on what the race gains by moving to an ITU event, this is easy - the event is supported by the Sports Council and initiated to generate tourism and put Abu Dhabi out there as a destination.

The ITU World Series is televised worldwide and has a substantial following, press coverage, top athletes as well as Age Group following.
Bit of a no brainer really.

It will be very impressive if they hold the ITU event and the existing Long Distance event a few weeks after.

Having raced it, whilst it's not mind blowing, it is a nice novelty on the F1 circuit, great weather, things to do (Ferrari World, Yas Marina Waterpark etc), relatively inexpensive to get there and a unique distance as you mention.

Hopefully both will proceed.

Izoard

Pity if they ditch the LD event, but I think in recent years, the SD version was becoming more popular with the general masses, so they had the issue of throwing most of the prize Dirhams at the pros in the LD race, whereas the SD is where the future is at (for what they are trying to achieve.)

While the locals have to do what they are told, I doubt they would shut down the city twice in the space of a couple of weeks for the same reason.

coL

The announcement clearly says that it will be a sprint and an olympic distance event but it doesn't say whether the longer distances will also run on these dates if at all. There is also a lot of uncertainty as to whether the announcement means that the traditional ADIT wont be going ahead. Given how difficult and disruptive it would be run two events of this size on consecutive weekends I think that it is unlikely that the ADIT as we know it will be happening any time around then.

One of the organisers has been asked to clarify things on facebook but no reply yet. One good reason I have heard as to why the longer cycle course may no longer be feasible is that a new mall has opened near the F1 track and as a result shutting down traffic for an entire day in that area is now more difficult.

Last year they announced the date for the ADIT on the 15th October so its hard to know whether this announcement is meant to replace the ADIT announcement.

Last year the event sold out and was already a major success so I don't think they needed to get the ITU on board to help raise awareness or boost the entry numbers. I didn't consider the television audience aspect of the equation but even then it seems strange to give up on a successful event that you have spent 5 years establishing and which was becoming, if it wasn't already, a very popular race.

I just fail to see the benefit to the competitors of it being an ITU event as opposed to something which resembles but is distinct from am IM/Half IM event.

zico10

I know nothing about Abu Dhabi and so don't know how disruptive it would be to shut down the city on two consecutive weekends. But if it can be done once, I don't see why it couldn't be done twice. It would make setting up for the second race easier as well, as no equipment, rigging, etc. would have to be transported in.

With a short distance event one weekend and a long distance race the week after it could be marketed as a week long triathlon festival. This is the approach they take in Phuket in Thailand, where for several years they have ran their own race one weekend followed by an Ironman 70.3 or Challenge event seven days later. When Ironman pulled out, the people behind Laguna Phuket Triathlon were very keen to have another outfit step in.

Hundreds of people sign up for the two races and stay in Phuket for 10 days or so. It's a very profitable enterprise for the hotels and businesses in the area. I don't know if this is their thinking, but hundreds of triathletes stuck in Abu Dhabi for a similar period of time would no doubt be very attractive for the hoteliers and shops there as well.

mrbungle

The longer distances event are gone.

This is the only show in town, in fact, the only triathlon in Abu Dhabi. There are a couple aquathons in some tasty venues but that's it.

Pity, I liked the timing and distance, no more mid to long distance in the region except Nov/Dec.

Fazz

http://www.emirates247.com/sports/other/abu-dhabi-opens-registrations-for-2015-world-triathlon-2014-10-28-1.567981

A Maxi event being similar to 70.3 is confirmed for the ITU weekend as well now. 2k-80k-20k

Read somewhere the long dist is still going ahead a week later but not confirmed or announced yet so who knows.

coL

From what I gather there was a lot of negative feedback locally and internationally about dropping the longer distances. I think they have included the Maxi distance option to try to make these people happy and bring back some of the entries they were going to loose.

One of the senior guys from the organising company has confirmed that the current ITU event has now replaced the ADIT so that or any iteration of it is very unlikely be happening the following weekend. Plus with all the official backing behind this one I don't know if the interest or organisational ability/capacity would be there for another event the following weekend.

A lot of people seem to be basing their speculation that there will be another event the following weekend on the fact that the ADIT was held on the 15th March in 2014. Unfortunately this doesn't mean anything as the dates for the ADIT are not the same every year and are subject to change (2nd March 2013, 3rd March 2012, 12 March 2011 & 13 March 2010). I think the event that's there now is all we will get this year but with the Maxi distance it should have something for most people and should be an amazing event if it is anything like last years. I think if there was going to be an event on the following weekend it would have been announced by now.

If the event is like other years it will be a great day and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an overseas event. Etihad are usually a sponsor and bikes fly for free if you show your race entry at check-in.

Obviously the longest distance looses out but given that there were only 211 entries for that distance last year out of a total of 2,324 and the last person to finish took 11 and a half hours the organisers were probably coming under pressure with regards to road closures especially with a new mall opening at one end of the course.

Izoard

Interested to see how this goes...

https://www.k226.com/news/newsitem.aspx?id=7320

coL

It went well. Decently organised with a few teething problems but this is only the second big event organised by the organisers and the first one of this scale (the other was a smaller Olympic distance event).

Macca didn't finish (he never finishes any race in the UAE) the excuse this time was that he got two punctures.

coL

Is anybody here doing this event?