The Abu Dhabi 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series, which was due to take place between this Friday and Saturday, was suspended due to “severe” weather conditions, as announced by the organization a few hours before the start of the women’s event.
For many triathletes, the suspension of competition in Abu Dhabi may be significant, as they are looking for the last points to qualify for the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
“Under no circumstances do we want to endanger our athletes, and the expected adverse weather conditions would have jeopardized the safety of the event. The safety of our athletes is of the utmost importance and this decision has not been taken lightly,” the organization’s statement explained.
The decision, taken jointly by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the World Triathlon, came after the Abu Dhabi National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority announced that all outdoor activities, from Friday, March 8 to Sunday, March 10, were canceled due to expected heavy rains and storms.
Although alternatives were sought to hold the events scheduled for this Friday in a safe and closed place, the organization said that “unfortunately this option was not possible either given the region’s need to prepare for adverse weather circumstances.”
The Seine River awaits a historic triathlon in Paris
The triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be held on July 30th (women) and July 31st (men) and the setting will be the mythical River Seine, where it is expected to swim again after more than a century if water conditions allow it. The start will be at the Alexandre III bridge and there will be 55 triathletes who will qualify for both women and men.
Due to the cancellation of the Abu Dhabi event, there will be only two races left in the World Triathlon Championship Series to score points in the ranking: Yokohama (13-14 May) and Cagliari (25-26 May). In addition, there will be six World Cups and three Continental Championships until Paris 2024. The last Olympic champions were Kristian Blummenfelt (Norway) and Flora Duffy (Bermuda).