City set to host another world-class week of sport

It will see thousands of athletes, supporters and spectators enjoy the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea (15 July) and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea (16 July).

The inaugural events ran back-to-back this year in early August and were hailed by many as a huge success.

Next year's events will be held on the weekend of July 15-16, before the school summer holidays start - and will kick-start the area's peak tourism period.

As with 2022, the weekend will follow a week-long Disability Sport Wales Para Sport Festival with accessible participation opportunities in activities such as swimming, cycling and running.

The World Triathlon Para Series race will take place within the qualifying window for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, providing British athletes with a key opportunity to earn valuable qualification points on home soil.

This year's event was the first of its kind to be hosted in Britain and saw home athletes Claire Cashmore and Dave Ellis, guided by Luke Pollard, take gold in their respective classifications.

The World Triathlon Para Series event also provided over 100 volunteering roles as well as accessible participation opportunities in swim, bike, run through a GO TRI Aquathlon (swim, run) and British Triathlon Para Super Series.

Swansea Council is working with event organisers British Triathlon and IRONMAN to ensure that local people, communities and businesses can plan for, enjoy and benefit from the events.

Other partners include UK Sport, Welsh Government and Welsh Triathlon.

The 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea was announced today and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea entries opened today.

Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: "We're delighted that these events will return once again in 2023.

"This unique week will provide opportunities for - and feature competitors with - a wide range of abilities right up to world-class level.

"Its first staging this year was a great success for athletes, supporters, local businesses and residents. It saw Olympic, Paralympic, World and Commonwealth champions all racing in Swansea.

"It reinforced the city's reputation as a welcoming, diverse sporting city, capable of hosting major events.

"We'll continue to work with the event organisers to ensure that local people and businesses have every chance to plan for and to enjoy next year's Disability Sport Wales' Para Sport Festival, World Triathlon Para Series Swansea and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea.

"We've listened to local feedback and, as a result, these 2023 sports events will take place outside of the school holidays and, along with the Wales Airshow, will help deliver another great Swansea summer.

"We have a 10-month lead-in time to plan ahead for our world-class 2023 sports week which we want to rival the success story of Tenby's well-established IRONMAN event which has done so much to put south west Wales on the map and provide a boost to businesses and tourism.

"We want to inspire local people to compete in sport and to enjoy it in other ways too."

Andy Salmon, British Triathlon CEO, said: "Having organised Britain's first standalone World Triathlon Para Series event earlier this year, I'm delighted that we can continue the momentum by announcing 15 July 2023 as the date for the next edition.

"Alongside the racing this year, we hosted the first International Para Triathlon Conference under the banner 'to achieve para parity', and that is very much our vision as we look to build on the success of 2022 by further enhancing the experience and delivery of paratriathlon events.

"Working with partners at UK Sport, Welsh Government, Swansea Council and Welsh Triathlon, we are excited to once again welcome paratriathletes from around the world to Britain."

IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Race Director Rebecca Sutherland said: "Following the resounding success of the inaugural edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea, we are delighted to be returning in 2023.

"Swansea has been a wonderful addition to our European race calendar, underlined by the overwhelming response of our athletes with the race selling out in its first year. Encouragingly, the first edition saw over 60% of athletes participate in their very first IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon.

"We're grateful for the support shown for the event and are already planning towards delivering another world class experience for athletes, the community and to give them an event they can be proud to call their own."
 

FAQs

QWill this mean temporary road closures on the weekend of July 15-16, 2023?

A Yes. They'll be publicised well in advance so that householders and businesses across Swansea and Gower can plan ahead. The council is already discussing this with the event organisers and the thoughts of local communities will be taken into account. The sports weekend brings economic benefits and spectator opportunities to our local area and we're grateful to householders, businesses and others in the event locations for their understanding.

Q Isn't the Wales Airshow due to be held only two weeks before the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea?

A Yes. The airshow is on July 1-2, the sports weekend will be July 15-16. Both bring economic benefits and spectator opportunities to our local area and both will be widely publicised well in advance - as will the temporary road changes for each weekend. We're grateful to householders, businesses and others in the event locations for their understanding.

Q Can Swansea cope with the changes to everyday life that these events bring?

A Yes - by listening to local communities, planning well in advance, working with top-quality partners and by using the council's own events expertise. It's important that Swansea has a strong events calendar - it helps makes the city an attractive place to live and a destination for visitors to come and boost our local economy.

Q Why do we need a whole week of sport?

A The council wants to inspire local people of all abilities to take part in healthy activities in ways that they themselves best enjoy. Hundreds of them will take part in July 2023's Disability Sport Wales' Para Sport Festival, 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea. As with this year, thousands will enjoy the events as spectators. We also see the events as bringing economic benefits to the area; the 2022 week brought good business for accommodation providers and others in the hospitality industry.

Q How do you know the 2023 will be a success?

A The people of Swansea enjoy special events - as seen by the Wales Airshow, Christmas Parade, the annual seafront fireworks display and the Singleton Park gigs. In August 2022, the residents of Swansea and Gower turned out in their thousands to enjoy this spectacular weekend of sport. People and organisations took the two major new events to their hearts - and accepted some changes to daily life necessary to stage the activity safely.

Q Aren't there too many challenges for the local community when these events are held?

A We thank residents and businesses for their patience and understanding as they make changes to their day-to-day lives. We do appreciate that road closures cause some disruption to normal daily routines - but they're important to make such events as safe as possible for all involved and local residents. Bringing top class sport and other events to any location has its challenges but the council is determined to give the people of this area big programmes of major events. They give local people great things to see and do - and they boost the local economy in a substantial way. In August 2022 we hosted a big weekend of international sport and it shone a global spotlight on Swansea as a destination. We'll continue to do all we can to attract top-class sporting events to Swansea on a regular basis to boost tourism and the visitor economy.