Tauranga triathletes are ecstatic about news the city will host the World Triathlon Championship Final in 2028.
A three-year partnership deal with World Triathlon was announced by Triathlon New Zealand in Tauranga today.
The deal includes Tauranga hosting a World Triathlon Cup in 2026, a World Triathlon Championship Series race in 2027, and the World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final, Age Group World Championship, and Paratriathlon World Championships in November 2028.
Triathlon Tauranga athletes Ryder Matthews and Ashton Guitry, who were at today’s announcement, said they were excited for the opportunities this would bring for them.
Matthews said the final was a big event to come to Tauranga, and he looked forward to competing.
The 15-year-old will be eligible to compete when he is 16.
Guitry, who has already competed in the series in Spain last year, and will compete in Wollongong, Australia, in October, said he was excited to compete locally.
“It’s going to be great. We don’t have to travel. We can stick with our build-up here.”
The 17-year-old said these races were massive, with a lot of athletes competing.
“It’s tough,” he said, adding that these bigger events brought athletes of different ages and with different abilities.
Two of New Zealand’s elite triathletes from Tauranga, Brea Roderick and Finley Oliver, also at today’s event, said they were excited enough to have the event in New Zealand, let alone at home.
Oliver, the current New Zealand Under-20 triathlon champion, said it was “super motivating”.
“It’s given me the extra drive to keep cracking on and really working hard towards it.”
Roderick said this was a great boost for aspiring young triathletes.
“If I was a junior and I heard this was coming up, I’d be getting ready and working towards it.”
Oliver said he liked to think a home race would give him an advantage after living and training in Tauranga for seven years.
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale told attendees at the announcement the partnership would be a great opportunity to showcase the city and its capability to host major sporting events on a global stage.
“I’m very confident in the team that we have will deliver a great occasion and more.”
Drysdale said he was excited for the city to host more sporting events after the success of the Chiefs rugby game, Zespri Aims Games and the upcoming summer cricket season.
“We’re very excited to have this come to Tauranga.”
Triathlon New Zealand chief executive and World Triathlon executive board director, Pete de Wet, said it was a massive opportunity to support the growth of the sport in New Zealand.
“We’ve had some real momentum over the last 18 months, so these events just give us a further platform to engage our community and get them excited about the sport.
“We started a conversation with Tauranga some time ago and they just seemed really engaged and interested in participating and being a part of the event, so we knew very early on that we had an engaged and trusted partner who was keen to get on board with us, so it seemed like a natural fit.”
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said the event would be a “fantastic injection for Tauranga”.
“It really profiles Tauranga in terms of the world triathlon circuit, and it brings lots of visitors and more people staying in our accommodation, eating in our restaurants and cafes and flowing into our retail areas. It’s a real economic boost.”
Upston said the three-year partnership established Tauranga as the home of triathlon over a period of years.
The first two smaller events in 2026 and 2027 would give local hosts and businesses a chance to work out any logistical issues before the finals in 2028.
She said putting Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty on a global stage through broadcast coverage would encourage people to book flights and travel to the region.
“We’ve got a growing reputation for hosting events like this incredibly well. I think it’s really exciting times for New Zealand and [we] will no doubt be pitching for more world events to host here on our shores.”
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said he was a massive sporting nut and remembered doing the Weet-Bix triathlons “back in the day”. His mum was a triathlete, and Rutherford would watch and support as she competed in the Ironman and other events.
“I’m so stoked and I’m so grateful that it is coming to Tauranga because it’s going to have such massive impacts for us.
“I’m definitely going to be down there cheering it on.”
He said it was also a great opportunity for local athletes like Hayden Wilde to compete in front of family and friends in their own country.
Wilde is a two-time Olympic medallist - winning bronze in Tokyo and silver in Paris - who grew up in Taupō and Whakatāne before moving to Tauranga in 2016.
Attending the announcement via video link, he said it would be a privilege and honour to host the event in his hometown.
The 27-year-old said the event would likely be his last short-course race.
“To have the opportunity to race at home in front of friends and family for the grand final in 2028 is super exciting for me and could be a really cool way to have a bit of a send-off in my short course career.”