Biathle-Triathle Spotlight: World Championship preparations under way

The return of global competition across UIPM Sports in 2022 has galvanised the Biathle and Triathle communities.

Recent editions of the UIPM Biathle-Triathle National Tour have taken place across Egypt, France, Portugal and South Africa, with athletes of all ages aiming to get into the best possible competitive shape for the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships in Machico (POR) from October 26-30.

The surge of activity has given National Federations a platform to select teams and continue the ongoing promotion of Biathle and Triathle as crucial development vehicles for Modern Pentathlon and for all ages of athlete to enjoy the benefits of multi-sport.

Other countries lining up to host National Tours in July and August are Armenia, Burkina Faso, Georgia and Ivory Coast along with first-time hosts Croatia, Greece, Moldova and Thailand.

The Biathle-Triathle season also features Asian and European Continental Championships in Burabay (KAZ) and Athens (GRE) respective. For more details visit the UIPM Biathle-Triathle calendar.

George (RSA)

• Saturday/Sunday April 16-17
• Glenwood House 
• 94 athletes in Biathle and 76 athletes in Triathle aged 7-69

Eden Modern Pentathlon Association representative: “Athletes from all over the country entered for the race. There were athletes from Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape and Western Cape as well as Eden. A few athletes competed in the sport for the first time, and Eden club provided the necessary guidance for them to enjoy the sport as much as the club members do.

“Eden hosted this tour also as the Western Cape provincial championship in Biathle and Triathle. The official competition distances were used in the National Tour as well as the championships.”

Pretoria (RSA)

• Wednesday 18 May
• Montana High School and outdoor municipal swimming pool
• 58 participants in Biathle and 29 participants in Triathle aged 8-74

Graham Burnett, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of UIPM BTNT in Pretoria Committee, and Secretary for Gauteng Modern Pentathlon: “With many school sporting events over the May period we were competing against three of the biggest school sports, namely rugby, hockey, netball and club cross-country over that weekend. Although the entry numbers were less than expected, the competitions were successful.

“There were individual and mixed relay events in both Biathle and Triathle. We also had athletes who initially only entered for Biathle and then participated in the Triathle Relay as well.

“The highlight for many of the athletes were the relays, where racing was fierce as distances were shorter than what the athletes were used to. The overall feedback from athletes, parents, spectators and officials was overwhelmingly positive and the interest shown from new athletes is welcome.”

Rivesaltes (FRA)

• Thursday June 23
• ‘Les Domes’ aquatics centre
• 274 participants aged 7-16

LOC representative: “The Salanque modern pentathlon club organised competitions in collaboration with USEP66 and UNSS. The goal of the event was to introduce Modern Pentathlon sub-sports to the youth of the region.

“Registrations for the Biathle-Triathle National Tour were reserved for children from the schools. In total, about 15 classes from the schools of Rivesaltes, Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque and Pia participated in this UIPM competition. There were more than 70 triathletes and 160 biathletes during one day.”

Hurghada (EGY)

• Thursday-Friday June 23-24
• Red Sea resort
• 200 athletes

LOC representative: “We started the first day with Biathle and during the second there were competitions in Triathle.

“The competition place is a resort on a lake beside the seashore. The competitions were fantastic and everybody enjoyed the sea and the sand. All participants achieved strong results and showed a spirit of healthy rivalry.

“The Egyptian athletes are looking forward to compete at the UIPM World Championships in October in Portugal.”

Machico (POR)

• Saturday June 25
• Machico Bay, Madeira
• Almost 200 athletes from U9 to Masters 60+

Manuel Barroso, President of the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation (FPPM): “Enthusiasm and healthy competition have returned to Machico after the pandemic long break. Machico hosted the Biathle National Tour which was at the same time Portuguese National Championships. This is also the venue of the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships which will take place in late October.

“The competition was open and athletes from Great Britain, Germany, Romania and South Africa came to ‘feel’ already a piece of the atmosphere of the beautiful Machico Bay, and its excellent conditions for such competitions.

“All athletes had a great competition journey. For the Portuguese athletes it was also trials to qualify to the Relay teams for the World Championships while the World Championships LOC took this opportunity to test the main aspects of the organising event and train the local staff team.”