PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION ANNOUNCES COLLINS CUP MEDIA FANTASY COMPETITION
Winning Team to be Awarded the Golden Pen Trophy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24th August 2021
LONDON, ENGLAND: The Professional Triathletes Organisation today announced that a Collins Cup Media Fantasy Competition will take place in the run up to The Collins Cup in Samorin, Slovakia on August 28th, 2021. With pundits expressing strong opinions on the outcomes of the races, informed by their knowledge of our sport, it is time to put that knowledge to the test and determine which region has the most knowledgeable triathlon media and journalists. Like the Collins Cup itself, the competition will consist of three teams – USA, Europe and Internationals.
Each team will have ten members who will each select the first, second and third place finishers for each of the 12 Collins Cup race matches receiving points for correct selections. The scores of all ten team members will be aggregated and the team with the most points will be crowned the winner and claim the Golden Pen Award. The last place team will bear the shame of being presented with the Fake News Trophy. The details of the selection process and scoring can be found here.
The Collins Cup Media Fantasy Competition will start on August 25th as soon as Captains unveil their picks for the race matches at the Collins Cup Opening Ceremony, which will be broadcast on the PTO YouTube Channel, Collins Cup app and Collins Cup website beginning at 5pm BST/ 6pm CEST/12 noon EST.
Bob Babbitt, host of Babbitville Radio and the 40-year seasoned veteran of all things triathlon commented, “The Collins Cup is truly a game changer for our sport. A team competition with individual race matches will engage triathlon fans around the globe. The PTO has been instrumental is supporting the sport, particularly in this pandemic environment. Without the PTO, many professionals would not have survived this last year. The Collins Cup Media Fantasy Competition will be a fun and engaging way to follow the race and demonstrate which of the USA, the European or International Media really knows the most about our sport. If we can keep Brad Culp and Talbot Cox from each other’s throats, the pair, together with Kelly O’Mara, Editor of Triathlete, Ryan Heisler from Slowtwitch and Bill Plock of 303 Triathlon, we will have a formidable US team.”
Frank Wechsel of German media group, Spomedis, part of Media Team Europe commented, “like the European Team itself, the European media is well advanced in depth of knowledge of our sport, with the likes of John Levison of Tri247, Rob Slade of 220 Triathlon, Jacky Everaerdt of TriMax, and seasoned freelancer Tim Hemming, we would fully expect to join our European compatriots in victory.”
Bevan McKinnon, Media Team International member from Fitter radio, New Zealand commented that “the PTO have dramatically changed the game when it comes to data analysis. The PTO Worlds Rankings website is a treasure trove of in-depth data and allows us all to dig deep and analyse the nuances of the various abilities of athletes. With this data and the experience of Media Team International members like Kevin Mackinnon from Triathlon Canada, Australian triathlon journalist, Phil Wrochna, ex professional triathlete turned commentator Belinda Granger and triathlon YouTuber – Taren Gesel, aka Triathlon Taren, we feel, just like the real Team Internationals, we can hold our own and look forward the competition. We will be up the middle of the night here in Australasia rooting for Team Internationals. Bring it on!”
As previously announced here anyone can sign-up to participate Collins Cup Fantasy Competiton, in which the The Grand Prize is an all-expenses paid trip for two to the 2022 Collins Cup. Second and third place finishers will receive a TAG Heuer connected watch with GPS, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, and heart rate sensor. In addition, there are many more prizes to be won courtesy of Wahoo, a premier partner of The Collins Cup, including Wahoo KICKR Bikes, Wahoo KICKR Smart Trainers and Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL multisport watches, giving fans the chance to snag some fabulous triathlon merchandise as well as displaying their knowledge of triathlon by correctly predicting race outcomes. Sign up to play at https://protriathletes.org/fantasy.
Christophe Balestra, CTO of the Professional Triathletes Organisation, stated “Triathlon is a sport with incredible amounts of data. The data and statistics of our PTO Professionals is fascinating to analyse and deliver to the triathlon community in an easily accessible format. This allows us to engage our fans with all types of different platforms to experience the thrill of what is happening at races. In addition to the Collins Cup Media Fantasy Competitions, we will be announcing shortly a competition for all triathlon fans that will not only allow them to win prizes, but also set up their own leagues and with compete with their friends.”
About the Professional Triathletes Organisation
The Professional Triathletes Organisation is a not-for-profit entity consisting of both men and women professional 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. The PTO’s inaugural flagship event, The Collins Cup, will be held on 28th August 2021 in Samorin, Slovakia and will be a head-to-head showdown between the world’s greatest athletes to determine who rules triathlon.
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Live broadcast globally available on The Collins Cup player, excluding in Europe where the live broadcast will be exclusively available on Eurosport 2, the Eurosport player and Discovery+ in selected markets.
Find out how to watch The Collins Cup in your country here.
Contacts:
Jane Hansom
Head of Communications
Professional Triathletes Organisation
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