Sunderland to be host city for World Triathlon Championship Series in 2023 and British Super Series Grand Final in August

It has been announced on Thursday, February 10, that Sunderland will host two major triathlon events within the next couple of years.

The first is set to be the British Super Series Grand Final which will be held over the weekend of August 20 and 21.

During the weekend, spectators will be able to see a mixture of elite racing from youth, senior, junior and para triathletes – with the event being a key part of the British Triathlon performance pathway.

Then the city will hold part of the World Triathlon Championship Series in August 2023 as some of the world’s best athletes descend on Wearside.

Patrick Melia, the chief executive for Sunderland City Council, described the events as something “really powerful” for people in Sunderland to witness.

He said: “It is just exciting and a great time for Sunderland, there are a lot of positive things happening in the city.

"This morning, to announce that later this year that we’re going to celebrate the elite athletes at British Triathlon at all ages in Sunderland is great.

"It is going to be a great event where we have the best athletes from the UK in Sunderland and it will be really powerful for our people to see.”

Vicky Cuthbertson is the chair at the Sun City Tri Club, the triathlon club based in Sunderland, and she has welcomed the event.

She commented: “It will really put Sunderland on the map for triathlon and as a local club, we’re so excited.

"We hope that it will encourage more people to get involved in triathlon and it doesn’t matter if they want to do a triathlon, a duathlon or an aquathlon.

“Even if it is just getting people out cycling, swimming and running, it will be great for the local community and has lots of health benefits."

Head coach at the club, Gordon Stutchbury, added: “We get people from all ages and backgrounds wanting to get involved, it is a way of getting fit however it is a more diverse way of doing so.

"For example, if you get injured running, you can still ride a bike or swim and for the people of the North East, it is not an expensive thing to get involved in.”

Jonny Hamp, the director of events at British Triathlon Federation, has gave an insight into what the people can expect from the two events and highlighted that residents in Sunderland will be able to take in some “swim, bike, run” activities over the course of the year.

He said: “It is going to be a fantastic occasion and there will be all ages taking part, there’s plenty of opportunities to get involved in the event, either spectating or volunteering or even taking part yourself.

“The swim, bike, run activity will be happening during the year through the council and therefore there will opportunities to take part alongside these pathway athletes.”

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling Sunderland’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Echo’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.