Professional Triathletes Organisation Partners with Do North Events and The City of Edmonton to Deliver The Inaugural PTO Canadian Open In Edmonton, Canada

January 17, 2022

17th January 2022. LONDON/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ –The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) today announced that it has partnered with event organiser, Do North Events and The City of Edmonton, to deliver the inaugural PTO Canadian Open on 23^rd-24th^th July in Edmonton, Canada.

The PTO Canadian Open is the inaugural race of the PTO Tour which also consists of the PTO US Open, PTO Asian Open, PTO European Open and The Collins Cup, which will see the world’s greatest non-drafting professional male and female triathletes competing for a prize purse of $1,000,000 per event.

Both Professional and age-group athletes will have the chance to race an exciting new course, in the heart of Edmonton’s unique River Valley. The professional men’s race and women’s race, each a 100km distance (2km swim, 80km bike leg and a 18km run) will determine the ultimate athlete and the PTO Canadian Open will, for the first time, introduce age group racing, giving amateurs the opportunity to meet and race alongside the professionals, a hallmark of the sport of Triathlon.

The PTO Canadian Open will have world class TV production broadcast live to a global audience and high-quality shoulder programming showcasing the stories of the PTO Professionals, including local stars Lionel Sanders and Paula Findlay.

Stephen Bourdeau, General Manager, Do North Events commented: “Do North Events is excited to partner with PTO to deliver the first-ever PTO Canadian Open.  Triathlon has been a signature sport in our city for over 20 years, and this summer fans will see some new names on the pro circuit along with familiar faces like our very own Olympian, Paula Findlay.  An exciting new course for professional and age group athletes will be sure to make it a thrilling weekend of racing.  Thank you to all of our partners who helped make this happen including the City of Edmonton, Explore Edmonton and the athletes and staff at the PTO.”

Sam Renouf, CEO of the PTO, stated: “We are delighted to partner with Do North Events and The City of Edmonton. With over 20 years of experience organising major international events , Do North Events (formerly World Triathlon Series Edmonton) has the knowledge, passion and expertise to deliver an outstanding inaugural PTO  Canadian Open in a city that has a long history of celebrating this incredible sport and its superhuman athletes.”

Paula Findlay, Canadian Professional and PTO Board Member stated: “It is great to have the inaugural PTO Canadian Open in my hometown of Edmonton. I am very excited for Triathlon to entertain new and existing fans and it’s a fantastic opportunity for Professional Triathletes to raise their profile through global TV coverage and win some meaningful prize money. The PTO is showing that by having professional Triathletes working together and having an equal interest in the success of the Tour events like the PTO Canadian Open, the sport can continue to gain in popularity and reach new audiences.”

Cindy Medynski, Event Attraction Manager at Explore Edmonton added: ”Edmonton has such a rich history of hosting triathlons; it couldn’t be more exciting to bring in a fresh new triathlon product this summer. New athletes, a new course to showcase the city and of course the return of hometown star triathlete Paula Findlay. In a time when people are excited to see a return of sporting events of all kinds, the PTO Canadian Open is sure to be a hit and we at Explore Edmonton are so proud to bring it here”.

Age Group registration will open on 25th January. Sign up via events.protriathletes.org/pto-tour/ to be updated as soon as age group registration opens.

About Edmonton

Edmonton is Canada’s youngest and fastest growing capital city. A sport-loving city with four professional sports teams and a history of delivering some of the biggest events in the world, including 20 + years of international triathlon, Edmonton is affectionately known as Canada’s triathlon city, producing more Olympic triathletes than any other Canadian city. Edmonton is one of Canada’s sunniest cities, experiencing an average of 325 sunny days and 2,345 bright sunshine hours per year, and 17 hours of sunlight in the summertime. Easily accessible, Edmonton International Airport has over 60 non-stop national, US and international destinations. Edmonton is a short 4-hour drive to Jasper or Banff National Park in an area of outstanding natural beauty in The Canadian Rockies.

About the Professional Triathletes Organisation

The Professional Triathletes Organisation is a not-for-profit entity consisting of professional male and female triathletes who have come together to form a representative body which not only gives them a meaningful voice in the way the sport operates but a means to contribute to its growth for the benefit of the entire triathlon community. The PTO seeks to showcase the passion, talents, determination, struggles and achievements of its dedicated professionals through iconic events, reimagined broadcast and compelling storytelling, inspiring global sports fans to watch, engage and participate in Triathlon.

PTO Canadian Open logos and launch assets can be accessed via the PTO Media Portal. If you have previously accessed the Collins Cup page on the media portal, you will automatically be granted access to the PTO Tour page by selecting ‘PTO Tour’ in the dropdown menu on the top left of your screen. Anyone who has not previously accessed the media portal can register at protriathletes.org/media.

Contact

Jane Hansom
Head of Communications
E: Jane.Hansom@protriathletes.org
M: +44 (0) 7703 481 478