For The First Time In History, L’Equipe Group to Broadcast 12 IRONMAN Races, Including Special Coverage of 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France

April 21, 2023

- The men’s edition of the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Nice, France will be broadcast on La Chaîne L'Equipe - 11 other races, including the women’s edition of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i will be broadcast on L'Equipe's digital platform, L'Equipe Live - Tomorrow at 1:15pm (CET), the first race of the year will be broadcasted on L'Equipe live: the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas, the Americas Championship, commented by the official IRONMAN announcer in France, Stéphane Garcia, and professional triathlete Léon Chevalier

NICE, France (21 April 2023)  /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – IRONMAN and L’Equipe Group have announced a new broadcast partnership, which will see L’Equipe provide live coverage in France for 12 of the most prestigious IRONMAN races in 2023, including both the men’s and women’s editions of the VinFast IRONMAN^® World Championship triathlon in Nice, France and Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i respectively.

“By signing this agreement with IRONMAN, the L’Équipe group is delighted to complete its Triathlon offer, with the best of long distance, all season long, until the world championship which will take place in Nice on September 10, 2023. These races represent an opportunity in our strategy to develop our L’Équipe live channels, available on the website and the app. They add to our already rich offer of 2,500 hours of live sports broadcast on our digital channels. With this acquisition, the L’Équipe website and app are affirming their position as a leader in sports event streaming.” Emmanuel Alix, director of the digital division of L’Équipe Group.

This will be the first time since the inception of the IRONMAN World Championship race that the event will take place in Europe. Nice will join Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i as the dual host of the annual IRONMAN World Championship triathlon through 2026 with men and women rotating location every year.

L’Equipe will broadcast this memorable event across La Chaîne L’Equipe and L’Equipe Live. A further 11 IRONMAN events, including the women’s edition of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon will be broadcast on L’Equipe Live.

Matthieu van Veen, Chief Business Officer for The IRONMAN Group commented: “Following the success of the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race coverage on L’Equipe Live involving French Legend Yves Cordier, we are very excited to collaborate with L’Equipe to bring an in-depth coverage of the 2023 season highlighting some of the most prestigious events of the IRONMAN series. We are looking forward to bringing our French audience closer to the action, and witness what is set to be a historical moment in time for the city of Nice and our athletes.”

The full schedule of IRONMAN events which will be broadcast on L’Equipe Live is as follows:

* The historical first edition of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice will benefit from special coverage across La Chaîne L’Equipe and L’Equipe Live

IRONMAN races are considered one of the toughest endurance events in the world, requiring competitors to swim 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers), bike 112 miles (180 kilometers), and run a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) – all in a single day. The event was first held in Hawaii in 1978 on the Island of O’hau and moved to Kailua-Kona in 1981 and has since grown to become a global phenomenon, with races held worldwide, qualifying for the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Kona and now Nice, France.

The event has become iconic in the world of sports, inspiring millions of people around the world to take up triathlon and to push themselves to new levels of physical and mental fitness. For many, completing an IRONMAN race is the ultimate achievement, and the event has become a symbol of the human spirit’s indomitable nature, inspiring awe and respect among athletes and fans alike.

Not only will this be the first year that the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon will take place in Europe, but it will also be the first time that the men and women will have dedicated races in separate locations.

For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to victor.alvarez@ironman.com.

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About the IRONMAN World Championship

Since its inception in 1978 on the Island of O`ahu, the IRONMAN<sup>®</sup> World Championship triathlon has etched its name in history through stellar performances, inspirational participants and emotional memories. In 1981, the race moved from the tranquil shores of Waikīkī to the barren lava fields of Kona on the Island of Hawai`i where it continues to take place to this day. The most iconic one-day sporting event in the world is the culmination of 40 global IRONMAN events with over 94,000 athletes around the world striving for one of the coveted qualifying slots. The 2021 edition of the event took place in St. George, Utah in May 2022, becoming the first location to host the event outside of Hawai`i since its origins in 1978. After a two-year hiatus from Hawai`i due to COVID, the race returned to Kailua-Kona and for the first time took place as a two-day event in October 2022. The 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon will see the event continue with the two-day format but with two different host locations (Nice, France and Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i) and dates, to allow for a dedicated world championship race for women and dedicated world championship race for men. With two days of racing, the cumulative event will host approximately 5,000 athletes as they embark on a 140.6-mile journey that presents the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit to earn the title of IRONMAN World Champion. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/im-world-championship.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^® Series, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.

About L’Equipe

The L’Équipe group, a subsidiary of the Amaury group, is France’s leading multi-media sports channel, with more than 42 million contacts per month. It includes press titles (the L’Équipe newspaper, L’Équipe magazine, France Football, Vélo Magazine), the L’Équipe platform and the L’Équipe channel, a free DTT channel available on the following channels Canal 21 on DTT, Free, Bouygues, Numéricable, SFR, SFR La Fibre, Orange, Fransat, VidéoFutur – Canal 79 on Canal offers and in OTT on Molotov.tv.

About the L’Equipe’s website and app

The platform is a real-time sports news offer produced by over 300 expert journalists. L’Équipe explore brings together the creations and original content of L’Équipe, mainly documentaries and investigations. L’Équipe live, available in the TV area, offers the largest live sports offer, accessible to all: 25 sports, 2,500 hours of live coverage, including 1,800 exclusives, 150 events, 23 World and European Championships.