Triathlon action will be kicking into high gear in just under two weeks as the 2016 Buffalo City ATU Triathlon African Championships, the 2016 Buffalo City ITU World Paratriathlon event and the 2016 Buffalo City South African Triathlon Champs will all be held on Sunday March 20 at Orient Beach.
The country’s best men and women triathletes as well as some top competitors from around the world will be turning out for the event with it being an Olympic qualifier.
“This is a prestigious event, it’s the only Olympic qualifier in Africa,” said Pam Rossouw from Buffalo City Triathlon.
This is the fourth year that East London is hosting this feast of triathlon action, however it is the first Olympic qualifier to be held here, with a few things changing from previous years.
“This year we do not have the junior division, with it being held in Bloemfontein on March 13,” said Rossouw.
“This is due to the fact that the Olympic qualifier requires a completely separate Elite Men’s and Women’s race.
“The ITU rules for Olympic qualifying events are far more stringent and this has resulted in the Local Organising Committee having to make more effort with respect to infrastructure, logistics and staffing in order to meet these requirements.”
Around 300 participants are expected to compete in the day’s triathlon action, with the SA triathlon champs seeing 185 athletes taking part, the paratri event is already full with 60 spots taken and a further 23 currently on the waiting list in case someone drops out.”
The main African Cup event has 30 entries confirmed so far, however a that number is expected to grow over the next week and a half as more athletes make themselves available.
With such a strong contingent of contenders coming down, fans should be in for a treat on the day.
“We will definitely see some exciting racing, watching the Paratriathletes is extremely inspiring,” claimed Rossouw.
“This is a fight to the finish to get to Rio, 20 Para coaches are coming to SA so it shows you the importance of the event.”
This will be the final year that the event will be held in East London, at least in the near future, as it will be rotated on to another province from next year.
Thus it should be a fantastic spectacle to be a part of and with so much at stake for many of the athletes it should be an event not to be missed.
“The local organising committee was originally mandated to hold this event for two years but because of the standard achieved by the Buffalo City LOC, East London was awarded a further two years,” explained Rossouw.
EL braced for first Olympic qualifier
The country’s best men and women triathletes as well as some top competitors from around the world will be turning out for the event with it being an Olympic qualifier.
“This is a prestigious event, it’s the only Olympic qualifier in Africa,” said Pam Rossouw from Buffalo City Triathlon.
This is the fourth year that East London is hosting this feast of triathlon action, however it is the first Olympic qualifier to be held here, with a few things changing from previous years.
“This year we do not have the junior division, with it being held in Bloemfontein on March 13,” said Rossouw.
“This is due to the fact that the Olympic qualifier requires a completely separate Elite Men’s and Women’s race.
“The ITU rules for Olympic qualifying events are far more stringent and this has resulted in the Local Organising Committee having to make more effort with respect to infrastructure, logistics and staffing in order to meet these requirements.”
Around 300 participants are expected to compete in the day’s triathlon action, with the SA triathlon champs seeing 185 athletes taking part, the paratri event is already full with 60 spots taken and a further 23 currently on the waiting list in case someone drops out.”
The main African Cup event has 30 entries confirmed so far, however a that number is expected to grow over the next week and a half as more athletes make themselves available.
With such a strong contingent of contenders coming down, fans should be in for a treat on the day.
“We will definitely see some exciting racing, watching the Paratriathletes is extremely inspiring,” claimed Rossouw.
“This is a fight to the finish to get to Rio, 20 Para coaches are coming to SA so it shows you the importance of the event.”
This will be the final year that the event will be held in East London, at least in the near future, as it will be rotated on to another province from next year.
Thus it should be a fantastic spectacle to be a part of and with so much at stake for many of the athletes it should be an event not to be missed.
“The local organising committee was originally mandated to hold this event for two years but because of the standard achieved by the Buffalo City LOC, East London was awarded a further two years,” explained Rossouw.
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