The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has announced the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series schedule, with Abu Dhabi once again opening the season.
Entering its eighth season, the World Triathlon Series will feature eight stops, with two cities making their debuts.
After successfully opening last season, Abu Dhabi has been retained as the first stop on the calendar, with the race heading to the UAE capital on March 4.
The WTS will then head to Australia’s Gold Coast in April before moving on to Japanese city Yokohama, where athletes will have the final chance to accumulate points ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
The circuit then heads to Europe where Leeds — the hometown of triathlon stars Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee — will make its debut, followed by Stockholm and Hamburg.
Following the Olympics, the tour will return to action in Edmonton, Canada before concluding in Cozumel, Mexico, another debut city.
Preliminary 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series calendar:
Abu Dhabi, UAE — March 4-5
Gold Coast, Australia — April, weekend dates TBC
Yokohama, Japan — May 14-15
Leeds, England — June 11-12
Stockholm, Sweden — July 2-3
Hamburg, Germany — July 16-17
Edmonton, Canada — TBC
Cozumel, Mexico — September 11-18
NOTE: Distances for each race will be confirmed at a later date, and one final event could be added either before or after the Olympic qualification cut-off in May, which could slightly alter the current schedule and race dates.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE
