Abu Dhabi will now host the final event of the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series instead of the first after organisers announced new dates in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The capital has for the past five years held the season-opener in March, but it was confirmed on Monday that the race has been pushed to November 5-6. The rearranged dates means the Series is scheduled to begin in Yokohama, Japan on May 15. The Championship will then move to the UK the following month, with Leeds hosting on June 5, before a return to Montreal, Canada on June 26-27. Three weeks later, Hamburg in Germany plays host to a Series event for a 20th successive season on July 10, the event providing the last taste of Championship Series action before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games begin. The World Triathlon Championship Finals Edmonton will then bring the spotlight back to Canada on August 17-22 to crown the 2021 World Triathlon Champions. The season moves on once more for the inaugural World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships taking place in Bermuda on October 15-17, before the rearranged Series event in Abu Dhabi wraps up the 2021 season. The 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi will have a Mixed Relay event to take place the same weekend. The decision to switch the Abu Dhabi stop from the season opener to the finale was backed unanimously by the World Triathlon Executive Board. In addition to allowing more time for the current worldwide travel restrictions to ease, it will be able to serve as a test event for the 2022 Abu Dhabi World Triathlon Championship Finals, also taking place at the end of the season. The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has also announced dates for the 2021 World Triathlon Cups, the World Triathlon Para Series, and the World Triathlon Para Cup. The World Triathlon Cups series comprises nine stops, with the opener taking place May 8-9 in Osaka, Japan and the final event set for October 30-31 in Tongyeong, South Korea.
