Swansea will host a trailblazing Para Sport Festival including the first standalone World Triathlon Para Series event to be hosted in Britain on 6 August, an event which British Triathlon and Welsh Triathlon hope will leave a long-term legacy and encourage more people of all backgrounds into swim, bike, run. 

British Triathlon, working alongside UK Sport, World Triathlon, Welsh Triathlon, the Welsh Government and Swansea City Council, will be delivering Volvo 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea in a first for the national governing body.

Taking place this summer, on Saturday 6 August, the event will run for three years through to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and support the development of athletes on the World Class Programme as well promote inclusion at events around the country.

Gareth Evans, Head of Development at Welsh Triathlon who is spearheading the showpiece event’s legacy programme, said: “It’s really exciting for us here at Welsh Triathlon.

“Bringing a World Triathlon event to Wales has been on the agenda for quite some time, so to actually achieve that is pleasing.

“It has taken a lot of work with a lot of partners to make it happen so hopefully all the good work will pay off and we will have a wonderful event in August.

“We are trying to make sure that the landscape in Wales offers ample opportunity for anybody that’s inspired by the event to take part in triathlon local to them.

“We are working with students across key stage four, further education and higher education to provide volunteering and additional work experience opportunities, to either deliver part of the legacy programme or be part of the delivery team of the World Triathlon Para Series event.

“It is imperative for us to make sure that our landscape improves wider opportunities.”

To celebrate the 100 days to go mark, Evans and the team at Welsh Triathlon delivered a swim, bike, run taster day for local schools at Penlan Leisure Centre on Thursday 28 April.

Pupils from local schools Gelli Onen, Whitestone and Pen-Y Bryn were joined by visually impaired GB paratriathlete Rhys Jones and his guide Rhys James, with Welsh Triathlon engaging with schools across the area through Volvo 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea to grow swim, bike, run participation.

The wider Para Sport Festival will see the governing bodies of a number of sports working collaboratively with Disability Sport Wales, the local authority, commercial partners and social organisations with the aim of ensuring a sustainable legacy.

In the efforts of making sport accessible for all, Evans hopes the Para Series will inspire organisations to enforce change.

He added: “We will be working with our club network to ensure that inclusivity is at the forefront of their thinking when it comes to para-activities.

“We are adapting our club accreditation process to include the Disability Sport Wales Insport accreditation to ensure that there is greater awareness and measures are in place across the club network to be able to facilitate activities if anyone with an impairment chooses to join their club.

“We will work with domestic event organisers to educate them on additional measures to ensure events in the calendar are more suitable for individuals with a disability where the course and landscape allows.

“We are hoping that the World Triathlon Para Series event will educate the wider triathlon community on some of the changes needed to make it second nature.”

Evans is an advocate that this will be a massive platform to encourage more people with and without a disability to take part in local events.

He said: “It’s a massive platform because we will have got the best paratriathletes in the world coming to take part in Wales.

“Looking at recent domestic events this season, there has been an increase of people who classify themselves as paratriathletes which we have not seen in the past. This has provided greater confidence for some people to explore this opportunity of engaging in triathlon.”

For more information on Volvo 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea visit https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/major-events/world-triathlon-para-series-swansea.

Or check out the Facebook Event Page https://www.facebook.com/events/236651078682490