USA Triathlon Drives Forward with Toyota

December 10, 2020

Support to continue for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic athletes, age-group programs and events

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— USA Triathlon today announced it has extended its partnership with Toyota as the organization’s Exclusive Mobility & Automotive Partner. The company will directly support USA Triathlon’s top elite athletes in the lead-up to the postponed Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer and will continue its groundbreaking support for the Toyota U.S. Paratriathlon National Team.

A member of The Olympic Programme (TOP) through 2024, Toyota is an official partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC), as well as the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

In its first two years as a Founding Partner of USA Triathlon, Toyota showed unparalleled commitment to the paratriathlon program — serving as the title partner for the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships and combining with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and USA Triathlon to offer the first-ever professional prize purse for the event in 2019. Toyota is also the title partner of the U.S. Paratriathlon National Team, U.S. Paratriathlon Development Team and U.S. Paratriathlon Resident Team at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

In June, the company supported the Toyota U.S. Paratriathlon Resident Team in its “Operation CO>COVID” Ride Across Colorado, a relay-style bike ride that raised funds for the USA Triathlon Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund and the Care & Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado. Toyota provided a Tundra for use as the ride’s official support vehicle, and a Montrose, Colorado-based Toyota dealership offered its building as a meeting point and support station along the route.

Toyota also individually sponsors two elite paratriathletes as part of Team Toyota: Melissa Stockwell, an Army veteran and 2016 U.S. Paralympic bronze medalist in paratriathlon; and Brad Snyder, a Navy veteran and five-time Paralympic champion in swimming who is targeting paratriathlon in Tokyo.

“Over the last two years, Toyota has raised the bar for our paratriathlon program in unprecedented ways — helping increase visibility and awareness, but also professionalizing the sport for the United States’ top elite paratriathletes,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “We are proud to continue our partnership with Toyota through the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, while collaborating on innovative age-group and grassroots initiatives.”

“Since 2019, we’ve worked closely with USA Triathlon in support of their athletes, members, and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement,” said Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager, Olympic and Paralympic Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “We’re looking forward to continuing our support of the paratriathlon program as well as the U.S. Paratriathlon National Team. In addition, our extended partnership will allow us to collaborate more at the grassroots level and to support key Triathlon and Paratriathlon events across the U.S.”

As USA Triathlon’s mobility partner, Toyota provides two vehicles to USA Triathlon: one dedicated to the U.S. Paratriathlon Resident Team, and another for use by the Colorado Springs-based national office.

In addition to its support of Olympic and Paralympic programs, Toyota also elevates events and programs for USA Triathlon’s age-group community. Toyota will continue to serve as the title partner for USA Triathlon’s largest and longest-running owned event, the Toyota USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships (sprint- and Olympic-distance), set for August 2021 in Milwaukee.

Beginning in 2021, Toyota will also be the title partner for the Toyota Legacy Triathlon, which includes the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships as well as an age-group triathlon and open water swim competition. Legacy Triathlon, launched in 2019 and hosted by USA Triathlon, is held in Long Beach, California, at the proposed triathlon venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

In addition to the Toyota Age Group National Championships, Paratriathlon National Championships and Legacy Triathlon, the company will support USA Triathlon’s full calendar of 2021 and 2022 National Championships, encompassing other owned (Collegiate Club, Duathlon, Youth & Junior) and non-owned events. Toyota’s involvement and activations through local dealerships will be designed to provide added value to participants and enhance the overall race-day experience.

Finally, the partnership will continue to include original content creation and media integration to communicate Toyota’s mobility message, as well as tell inspirational stories of elite and amateur triathletes alike. Toyota is the most popular vehicle among triathletes, with USA Triathlon annual members reporting that they drive Toyota vehicles more than any other brand.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

 About USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

– usatriathlon.org –