Super League Triathlon has announced the host cities and dates for the 2022 Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift: Munich on April 9, London on April 23, and a Grand Final in Singapore on May 7.
With the recently announced partnership between SLT and World Triathlon, these events will count toward the World Triathlon world ranking – and athletes who collect the most points over the three events will be awarded the first-ever triathlon esport World Titles in Singapore. New for these Arena Games: a live spectator element where fans can watch these events in-person (of course, according to local safety protocols)!
Think back to September 2020 when the first Arena Games were held in Rotterdam, and look how far they’ve come in creating a new esports format and world title for our sport’s athletes to contest.
SLT co-founder Chris “Macca” McCormack spoke to Tri247 about these developments. “We always see opportunity in difficulty, and the Arena Games was that,” said Macca. “When we tossed the idea around to many people inside the sport they laughed and said that is a dumb idea, but we threw a bunch of resources at it and used it as an opportunity to test the waters in a new space. It was a massive success.”
Macca says the biggest challenge for SLT is to work with World Triathlon and other organisations on an optimal racing calendar that gives athletes the space to build and shine, as well as create and leverage content and storytelling opportunities to create interest from others outside the sport. “We see so much opportunity in building this sport. We just have to be prepared to commit and do it consistently.
“It’s like preparing for an ironman. You don’t feel the improvement until you keep doing it day in and day out, and then suddenly you turn up to race day and you realise all that consistent, no-fuss work was worth it.”
Will you head over to Munich, London, or Singapore to watch an Arena Games event?
