Update on Rio 2016 medals programme for para-triathlon and para-canoe
07.07.2014The International Triathlon Union (ITU), in conjunction with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), has announced three of the six medal events that will be contested in para-triathlon’s debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The 2018 Para-triathlon World Championships will be held in Gold Coast, Australia. Para-triathlon will make its Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games.
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The IPC will make its final decision on the remaining para-triathlon medal events at its board meeting in October.
The men’s PT1 and PT4 sport classes have now been confirmed as two of the men’s three medal events, while the women’s PT4 has gained a berth in Rio.
“Para-triathlon’s addition to the Paralympic programme is going to be a monumental moment for our sport,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “As para-triathlon continues to expand drastically each year, we remain committed to evolving with its growing demands and competitiveness. We are hopeful and dedicated to seeing even more medal events contested in Tokyo.”
To allow for further analysis of the remaining sport classes, the IPC and ITU will continue working closely together during the summer to identify the remaining medal events.
With the six medal events to be evenly split amongst genders, one additional medal event will be assigned for the men, while two medal events will be announced for the women.
The IPC will make its final decision on the remaining para-triathlon medal events at its board meeting in October.
At the same meeting planned for Berlin, Germany, the IPC Governing Board will also discuss the planned medals programme for para-canoe in order to give International Canoe Federation (ICF) further time to revise its classification system and provide assurances regarding athlete numbers.
