Triathlon Calendar Set for 2016 -- Federations Focus

(ATR) The 2016 World Triathlon Series (WTS) will start in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and end in Cozumel, Mexico.

The competition will make six other stops over the six month series, taking a temporary hiatus in August for the Rio 2016 Games.

The event kicks off in March in Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row after a successful opening race in 2015. From there, Gold Coast, Australia will host the second leg after five years off of the event program. Gold Coast will also host the Grand Final in 2018.

Yokohama, Japan often hosts a leg of the event and will return as the third leg for 2016. This event will be the last opportunity for athletes to qualify for the triathlon at Rio 2016.

The tournament leaves Oceania for Europe for the fourth, fifth, and sixth legs. Leeds will host the triathlon event for the first time as the fourth leg, followed by Stockholm and Hamburg. Hamburg is the only city to host a WTS race every year since the event began in 2009.

After Rio, Edmonton, Canada – Grand Final host in 2014 - will hold the seventh leg before the tournament finishes at the Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel has never hosted a WTS event before but has hosted events for the International Triathlon Union World Cup.

World Softball Day Gets First Logo

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) created a logo for World Softball Day, which was celebrated on June 13.

This is the first time a logo has been created for the day that has been celebrated annually for the past eight years.

World Softball Day commemorates the day in 1991 when it was announced the sport of softball would be played at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The confederation also says the day pays homage to Olympic Day on June 23.

All 141 national federations within WBSC are encouraged to participate in softball activities in a global initiative to promote health and physical activity through softball.

"With World Softball Day 2015, WBSC will continue building baseball/softball's position together as a welcoming, inclusive and gender-balanced global sport," said WBSC executive vice president Dale McMann.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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