The Olympic Capital city, which is incidentally the headquarters of the International Triathlon Union will host the 31st version of the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in 2019.
The city, which boasts of the headquarters of almost all International Sports Federations and the International Olympic Committee, has also hosted twice, the ITU Mixed Relay World Championships, World Cups, European Cups, and European Championship races.
In a tough competition for the host city contract, the other city was Edmonton which also has a series of sporting events to its credits.
Speaking about the decision, the ITU President, Marisol Casado said, “It is a pleasure to announce that Lausanne, the “Olympic Capital”, has been awarded the World Championships in 2019.”
Continuing further about the selection, the ITU President who’s also an IOC Member, said, “The 2019 season will be a pre-Olympic year in which athletes are vying for Olympic spots. What better place for athletes to race for major Olympic qualifying points than in the Olympic Capital itself.
“The decision came down between two exceptional bids between Edmonton and Lausanne. It was a very difficult decision and we thank both cities for their desire to host the Grand Final. With the naming of the 2019 ITU Grand Final host, we now have the World Championship races confirmed for the next three years, which puts triathlon in a fantastic position,” he concluded his statement.
The Olympic Capital has a history of hosting triathlon races since 1998 when the Swiss city first welcomed the ITU Triathlon World Championships. It hosted the ITU’s pinnacle event again in 2006, and the Sprint World Championships in 2011.
The event, which will crown the 2019 ITU World Champions, will also name world champions in junior and U23 categories, and Para-triathlon, an event that debuts at Rio 2016 Paralympics. In addition to the competition categories above the city will also welcome thousands of age groupers for a competition to win themselves the world’s fastest in the category.
The ITU Triathlon World Championships dates back to 1989 when it was held at Avignon, France. Event schedule for the event is still to be confirmed.