Ironman Announces Expansion Into India For First Time Ever With Brand New Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Goa
IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, India to debut on October 20, 2019
TAMPA, Fla./GOA, India (November 27, 2018) – IRONMAN®, a Wanda Sports Holdings company, announced today the expansion into India for the first time in company history with the inaugural IRONMAN® 70.3® Goa, India triathlon which will debut on Sunday, October 20, 2019. Arriving at the shores of India for the first time, the IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon is a great opportunity to reach and further support the triathlon market that has been exponentially growing in India in recent years.
A city steep in history, Goa is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It is known for its long strings of beautiful golden-sand beaches that stretch along the Arabian sea, baroque-style buildings and stunning cathedrals.
“This is a huge milestone in the sport and the team and I are thrilled to launch the first ever IRONMAN 70.3 race in India,” said Geoff Meyer, Managing Director for IRONMAN Asia. “We’ve seen a constant upward trend in the participation of Indian athletes in our races all over the world in the past few years. IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, India was designed specially to quench the thirst for endurance sport events among these athletes, bringing their favourite race right to their backyard and an opportunity for athletes around the world to come experience this incredible region. We are thrilled to explore this new opportunity and look forward to supporting triathlon growth in India!”
Tropical Goa is the smallest state in India but also the most laid back and the most popular with tourists, both from India and all over the world. Most tourists travel to Goa in the Winter months to enjoy sunny days, the stunning beaches, fresh seafood, vibrant markets, the nightlife and much more.
The race begins on the serene Miramar beach with a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) two-loop swim in the Arabian sea. Athletes will then hop on their bike for a 56-mile (90km) three-loop ride along the Mandovi river causeway, taking them through the city with a scenic view of the Jetty and the floating casinos. They will then transition in Miramar beach for a 13.1-mile (21 km) three-loop shaded run along popular tourist attraction, the Dona Paula beach. Athletes will cross the finish line back on Miramar beach.
The end of October is the perfect time of the year to host the race with warm tropical weather conditions and temperatures ranging from 29-32°C (close to 84°F).
“This is a historical moment for Indian Endurance Sports and we are very excited to be the reason for IRONMAN to be in India,” said Deepak Raj, Co-Founder of Yoska Event Solutions, local operator of the event. “With this we are making an international event accessible to individuals from all corners of India. This event will attract equal international participants, so it is a great opportunity to enhance brand 'Incredible India'. We strongly believe that every participant in this event will be a celebrity and a role model whose story will inspire millions of Indians to prioritise their fitness. This event is our humble contribution to propel the 'Fit India' movement.”.
“We are delighted to host an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in Goa starting 2019,” said Menino D’Souza, Director at the Department of Tourism. “This is an international sporting event happening for first time ever in India and we warmly welcome Indian and international athletes and their supporters. This is a great platform for us to showcase culture, heritage and values of India and Goenkarponn (Goanness). We wish everyone a pleasant stay and a safe race.”.
The 2019 IRONMAN® 70.3® Goa, India triathlon is an age group only event and will offer qualifying slots for the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupõ, New Zealand taking place on November 28-29, 2020.
On top of the individual category, 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, India will offer a relay team option, providing an opportunity for first timers to take part in an IRONMAN 70.3 race.
General registration for 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, India will open on December 12, 2018, at www.ironman.com/goa70.3. Athlete inquiries may be directed to goa70.3@ironman.com.
About Yoska Event Solutions
Yoska is a way of life! It is a combination of 2 Sanskrit words that drive its vision to promote “healthy body and happy soul”. Yoska offers next generation fitness coaching programs for endurance activities like: running, triathlon, swimming, cycling, general fitness & walking which are suitable for people at all fitness levels. Yoska fitness programs are: highly personalized, structured, holistic and entails virtual group interaction with global experts, a unique confluence of proprietary technology and scalable human interventions from across the globe. Yoska is also the only Indian SaaS product in the global endurance coaching space which coaches, sport academies in Australia are currently leveraging to provide better training experience to their athletes. For more information, visit www.yoska.in.
About IRONMAN
As part of Wanda Sports Holdings, the IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, Iron Girl®, IRONKIDS®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, trail running like Ultra-Trail Australia™, and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN®Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 230 events across 53 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About Wanda Sports Holdings
Wanda Sports Holdings is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.
