The ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships, formerly the ITU Triathlon Team World Championships, is an annual team triathlon competition organized by the International Triathlon Union (ITU). The competition is completed in teams of four, two men and two women, with each member doing a super-sprint distance triathlon.
History
The event first appeared in 2003 in Tiszaújváros, Hungary with Australia winning both men's and women's titles. The event was not held again until 2006. In 2009, the ITU merged the men's and women's championships and the title is now contested as a mixed team. The event was initiated with the aim of getting more triathletes as well as the team triathlon discipline on the Olympic programme. The format appeared at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and is scheduled to appear at the 2014 Asian Games, which was considered a significant step towards adding team triathlon to the 2016 Summer Olympic programme. In July 2013, the IOC executive board ruled that they would not add any new disciplines to the 2016 games for fear of putting additional financial pressure on Brazil. The ITU plans on continuing its campaign for the addition of triathlon mixed relay event in future Olympic games.