FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3rd February 2021

LONDON, ENGLAND: The Professional Triathletes Organisation today announced that the date of the inaugural Collins Cup has been moved to 28th August 2021. The event will have a record setting prize purse of $1,500,000 and will be hosted, as originally planned, at the extraordinary x-bionic® sphere in Šamorín, near Bratislava, Slovakia. It will bring together the greatest professional triathletes in the world in a team competition to do battle to see who dominates the sport.

Rachel Joyce, Co-President of the PTO, commented, “We are excited to showcase the first Collins Cup at the x-bionic® sphere in Šamorín. The PTO’s mission is to celebrate the sport of triathlon, support the triathlon community and ultimately see this wonderful sport grow and thrive. The Collins Cup is going to see legendary team captains lead today’s very best triathletes in a battle to see which region dominates the sport of triathlon. It promises to be a riveting competition and moreover, the Collins Cup is going to be a platform for professionals and fans alike to celebrate our sport. Because of the continuing damage that the pandemic is causing to our triathlon community, the PTO Athlete Board has allocated up to $500,000 of the originally planned $2,000,000 prize purse of The Collins Cup to support local races as well as the PTO Professionals who do not qualify to participate in The Collins Cup. We have already started implementing this programme by working with Triathlon Australia and supporting the Husky Triathlon Festival on Feb 28th. Now, more than ever, our sport is best served by our community of race directors, governing bodies, age-groupers and professionals coming together to help support one another”.

Sam Renouf, CEO of the PTO, commented, “2021 continues to be a challenging environment for hosting international sport. While we have proven the ability to deliver a COVID-19 safe and compliant event with the PTO 2020 Championship at CHALLENGEDAYTONA® last year, this date change will ensure athletes have a greater opportunity to prepare for Collins Cup qualification. The format of USA vs Europe vs Internationals will add a whole new level of competition and pure excitement for triathlon. By adopting a proven format like the Ryder Cup with its nationalistic intensity and having a points system that creates drama throughout the race, The Collins Cup is designed to be a compelling live TV event that appeals not only to the fans of endurance sports, but also to the general sports enthusiast. The x-bionic® sphere team have proven experience hosting world class triathlon events in the form of CHALLENGEFAMILY’S THECHAMPIONSHIP and we are excited to further elevate that position in the sport with x-bionic® sphere becoming the inaugural host of this historic event.

Modelled after golf’s Ryder Cup, The Collins Cup is a competition among USA, Europe and the Internationals. Each team will consist of 12 professional triathletes, six men and six women. Eight athletes, four men and four women, will earn a place on their respective teams by way of the PTO World Rankings™ System and the remaining four athletes, two men and two women, will be selected by the non-athlete PTO Board Members with advice from Team Captains.

The Team Captains for The Collins Cup 2021 are:

An athlete from each team will battle against one another in an individual race of three, so there will be 12 separate race matches, each staggered 10 minutes apart. Athletes will be awarded points for their team based on performances in their respective race match and the team with the most overall points from the 12 race matches will claim the spoils of The Collins Cup and bragging rights as the most dominant force in the sport. The team that finishes last will receive The Broken Spoke Trophy. How it works.

Mario Hoffman, author of the concept of x-bionic® sphere stated “It is a great honour for Slovakia, Šamorín and x-bionic® sphere to host such a magnificent event. I can say for the whole team that we are thrilled to be a part of history and we are ready to help with our knowledge and vast experience in organizing huge international sports events.”

About the Professional Triathletes Organisation
The PTO is a not-for-profit entity consisting of professional triathletes who have come together to promote and contribute to the triathlon community and celebrate the sport of Triathlon. A professional representative body is the natural evolution for sport and with its investment partner, Crankstart Investments, the PTO is now able to contribute its resources and the collective voice of professional triathletes to help our sport grow and thrive.

Contacts:
Jane Hansom
Communications Director
Professional Triathletes Organisation
[email protected]