Professional Triathletes unite at Challenge Florianopolis 2020 with a $60,000 prize purse supported by Challenge Brasil and the Professional Triathletes Organisation

June 10, 2020

Florianópolis, BRA; Almere, NED and London, ENG, on June 10, 2020.

Today was announced that CHALLENGE BRASIL, CHALLENGE FAMILY, and PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION – PTO will work side by side in the edition of CHALLENGE FLORIANÓPOLIS 2020, which will take place in the Brazilian city of Florianópolis – SC, on November 29.

The partnership signed aims at valuing Triathlon in Brazil and strengthening the event on a global scale, through the participation of athletes from different places in the world, besides, of course, providing the public with memorable moments and being able to cheer up close by their idols in the sport.

The festival will happen between the 26th and 29th of November and will feature a Middle Distance Triathlon as main event – 1.9k of swimming followed by 90k of cycling and 21k of running – for professional and amateur athletes (age group), and will be held on Jurerê Internacional beach.

For professional athletes, a prize of US $ 60,000 will be offered and, in addition to the main event, the festival will bring entertainment, sport and leisure options for the whole family during the weekend.

Also, it is worth to highlight that the top six professional athletes and finishers in each Middle Distance age group, male and female, will qualify for THE CHAMPIONSHIP, to be held in May 2021 at the x-bionic sphere in Samorin, Slovakia.
Regarding the 2020 edition of CHALLENGE FLORIANÓPOLIS, Fernando Menezes, CEO of CHALLENGE BRASIL, noted that “We at CHALLENGE BRASIL aligned our plans with CHALLENGE FAMILY, PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION – PTO and GLOBUS BRASIL to provide professional and amateur athletes with a unique event in South America, aimed at strengthening Brazilian triathlon on a global scale and in addition, of course, entertainment and leisure options for the whole family, which is a characteristic of the CHALLENGE FAMILY events.”

On the side of professional athletes from Brazil and South America, the renowned triathlete Reinaldo Colucci marked that “In this year with so many adversities, the union between PTO, CHALLENGE FAMILY, CHALLENGE BRASIL and the athletes (NOSSO TRIATHLON) came to create this opportunity to hold an event that seeks to rescue the value of professional athletes in competitions. The first step of commitment between the parts has already been taken, now it is time for everyone to work for CHALLENGE FLORIANOPOLIS 2020 to be a success and so to leave this positive image of such a difficult year behind”.

Zibi Szlufcik, CHALLENGE FAMILY President of the Board, pointed out “I‘m thrilled to see this amazing Race becoming most important pro athletes Race in South America in this very difficult year. We at CHALLENGE FAMILY are always supportive to the growth of our Sport and Professional Triathletes Organisation. With this excellent bond we are exposing not only strong unity, but also help to overcome this Challenge!”

CHALLENGE FAMILY CEO, Jort Vlam, noted, as well, that “We are very happy with this partnership between the Professional Triathlon Organisation and CHALLENGE FAMILY as this expresses our joint commitment to professionalise the sport even in difficult times and keeping the quality standards and athlete-oriented values as well. It’s all about the athlete and we are one triathlon family.”

“The Covid-19 Pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on the Triathlon industry and the PTO was hugely concerned to learn of professional prize purses being dropped from established races in Brazil” noted Sam Renouf, CEO of Professional Triathletes Organisation. “Professional Athletes are self-employed and without the opportunity to earn through racing, have rapidly become unemployed. The PTO was formed by athletes for athletes seeking to ‘Celebrate the Sport of Triathlon’ and we are encouraged to support the local athlete initiative ‘Nosso Triathlon’ in its efforts to grow the sport in Brazil”.

About CHALLENGE FLORIANÓPOLIS

CHALLENGE FLORIANÓPOLIS is a triathlon festival that reaches its 5th edition in 2020, held on the iconic Jurerê International beach, offering leisure options for the whole family. The organization of the event always seeks to provide athletes with an excellent race option to experience in the best way everything that sport has to offer, in addition, of course, to everything happening in the stunning scenery of the city of Florianópolis.

About CHALLENGE FAMILY

CHALLENGE FAMILY is one of the fastest growing global triathlon series. With almost 40 full and middle distances in 26 different countries, CHALLENGE FAMILY is changing the face of triathlon around the world. Due to spectacular courses in iconic destinations, no CHALLENGE FAMILY race is like another. Focusing on delivering the race of a lifetime to athletes of all ages and abilities, CHALLENGE FAMILY races provide memorable experiences that capture all the excitement and emotions of this inspirational sport.

About The Professional Triathletes Organisation – PTO

The Professional Triathletes Organisation is a not-for-profit entity representing the body of professional triathletes and seeks to showcase the passion, talents, determination, struggles and achievements of the dedicated professionals who strive to realise the highest levels of the sport and inspire all those who are a part of the triathlon community.