UIPM 2023 Biathle-Triathle World Championships: All you need to know

• Athletes from 16 Asian countries join global gathering in Bali (INA)
• Rising star Khalil (EGY) and Lithuania Olympians among athletes to watch
• Four days of live-streamed racing across Biathle and Triathle with Para categories

The multi-sports movement in Asia is thriving!

As the global UIPM Sports community gathered on the idyllic Indonesian island of Bali for the UIPM 2023 Biathle-Triathle World Championships, it was evident that the sport has never been more vibrant in the world’s most populous continent.

With more than 70 athletes from host nation Indonesia taking part in the annual four-day competition, large delegations have also come from India, the Philippines and Thailand – which hosted the UIPM Southeast Asian Championships earlier this year.

With the inaugural UIPM Middle East Championships in Kuwait also coming soon, it was encouraging to see female and male athletes from Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates travelling east to test themselves in Biathle and Triathle against the best in the world.

In total, 450 athletes from 34 nations have flocked to participate in the popular two-format Championships.

As ever, strong teams from Egypt, Great Britain and South Africa are likely to enjoy multiple visits to the podium across the full span of age categories (Under 9 to Masters 70). But the location has attracted Pentathlon powerhouses in Asia such as Korea, Kazakhstan and Japan, hinting that the traditional Euro-African dominance may be somewhat checked this time.

Oceania also takes advantage of the nearby destination, with athletes coming from Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands and ensuring that all six UIPM Confederations are represented.

Amid four intensive days of competition, there will be Para categories during the Individual Finals on November 4 (Triathle) and November 5 (Biathle). 

Ones to watch

As always, among the Biathle and Triathle specialists there is a select group of established pentathletes enjoying a late-season competitive outing in the shortened formats.

The reigning senior Triathle champion, Rio 2016 Olympian Ieva Serapinaite of Lithuania, returns to defend her title and this time she will be challenged by London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Gintare Venckauskaite (LTU). Flying the flag for the next generation is 12-year-old Egypt phenomenon Farida Khalil, this year’s U17 Women’s Individual world champion and Junior Women’s Relay champion. 

In the senior men’s competition Ayan Beisenbayev (KAZ) will be hard to beat having won both Biathle and Triathle senior golds 12 months ago.

Biathle-Triathle background

Biathle and Triathle are cornerstones of the UIPM development programme and have proved a huge success both as an entry point to UIPM sports and as a training vessel for the running, swimming and shooting parts of Pentathlon in real race conditions.

The sequence of Biathle is run-swim-run, while athletes in Triathle compete in a swim-run- shoot format. It made its debut on international stage at the UIPM Biathle-Triathle World Championships 2013 in Cyprus. The UIPM Biathle-Triathle National Tour is now organised in all regions of the world. 

President’s welcome

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “We are very excited to bring the UIPM 2023 Biathle-Triathle World Championships to Bali, a paradise for sports and tourism. We are grateful to the National Federation of Indonesia, the National Olympic Committee led by President Raja Sapta Oktohari, and the local authorities for their support and cooperation.

“Here on the beaches of Bali we will witness very special moments. With athletes of all ages coming from all continents around the world for a celebration of the glory of multi-sport, we are looking forward to an unforgettable World Championships.”

Watch and follow

The UIPM 2023 Biathle-Triathle Championships will be streamed live on UIPM.TV with results available at the UIPM website and via the UIPM Central app. Live coverage is available to UIPMTV subscribers with annual packages costing €14.99.

Follow World Pentathlon on Facebook,  Instagram, TikTok and X throughout the season for additional content.

Competition schedule 

UIPM 2023 Biathle-Triathle World Championships

(Each day coverage on UIPM.TV starts at 2am Central European Time)

November 2: Biathle Mixed Relay & Individual Semi-finals

November 3: Triathle Mixed Relay & Individual Semi-finals

November 4: Triathle & Para Triathle Individual Finals

November 5: Biathle & Para Biathle Individual Finals