With only two days before the International Paralympic Committee’s decision on the new sport additions to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, the International Triathlon Union is pleased to announce that 27 nations from all five continents have pledged to participate in the 2011 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in September in Beijing.  The agreement by the ITU’s member federations is a significant boost for the “Paratriathlon for Paralympics” campaign in the final stretch.

The 27 National Federations signed commitments in response to the ITU’s Paralympic bid campaign and also committed to host Paratriathlon National Championships in their regions in 2011 and beyond.

In 2010, the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Budapest welcomed 88 athletes from 17 countries.  The number had already doubled since 2009 and the additional ten entries for the next year’s edition show the sport is rapidly growing and has a significant potential to contribute to the Paralympic Movement in the future.

Sarah Springman, ITU Vice President and Executive Board Representative of the ITU Paratriathlon Committee, said:

“The sport of Paratriathlon is fully integrated within ITU and its member National Federations in every aspect of the organisations.  I am pleased to say the momentum keeps rolling and can be seen in all corners of the world.  Regardless of the outcome this weekend, we are committed to working closely with the IPC in the continuous development of the sport.”

The list of the 27 countries that have pledged to send paratriathletes to participate in the 2011 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships and to host National Championships in 2011 are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States.

The International Paralympic Committee will decide which, if any, new sports will be added to the Rio 2016 programme during its Governing Board meeting on Saturday in Guangzhou, China ahead of the 10th Asian Para Games.  Seven sports have formally submitted their bid applications to the IPC.