BMW Group Ireland has agreed a major new sponsorship deal with Triathlon Ireland.  The partnership will run for an initial three years and see an investment by the brand of €1 Million into the sport.

The brand becomes the sport’s main sponsor, as well as title sponsor of the BMW Triathlon National Series and the BMW Duathlon National Series. A new corporate series will also be included in the partnership from 2019, the details of which will be announced in the coming months.

The substantial financial investment over the duration of the sponsorship is aimed at supporting the organisation to make the sports of Triathlon and Duathlon more accessible to people of all abilities and backgrounds in every part of the country.

For more than a decade, triathlon has had one of the highest growth rates of any sport in Ireland with participation numbers more than quadrupling in this time. Triathlon already has one of the highest female participation rates in the country, at 35 per cent, and despite the perception of it being a daunting high-performance sport, it has evolved into an accessible, achievable challenge enjoyed by people of all abilities and ages.

Ireland has the fifth highest triathlon participation rate per head of capita in the world.  This year more than 70,000 people will participate or watch a triathlon event on the island of Ireland.

One of the key areas of growth has been in youth and kids triathlon, which has witnessed a threefold increase in five years, while sprint and try-a-tri events, where participants get to complete a beginner-level triathlon in a safe and encouraging environment, have also shown substantial growth.

The BMW Triathlon National Series kicks off this summer as a nationwide league of 17 races taking place around Ireland between May and September.  It is anticipated that over 10,000 people will take part, the vast majority being amateur participants.

Competitors need to compete in four races to qualify for a ranking in the BMW National Series. A unique aspect of the competition is that competitors are ranked against other athletes of their same age group, with awards presented to the podium positions in these age groups at the end of the season.

Last year the youngest competitor in the National Series was just 16 while the oldest raced in the men’s 70-74 years age group.

“The partnership with Triathlon Ireland is a hugely exciting development for BMW in Ireland,” said Paulo Alves, Managing Director, BMW Ireland Group.

“At the core of our brand is a notion to make every second count, whether in a professional, personal or sporting sense so we are very excited to come on board and further support the development of the sport here in Ireland.”

“We share common values and strive to provide perfection in our own fields,” added Chris Kitchen, CEO of Triathlon Ireland.

“We will be working hard with BMW to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship develops and flourishes over the sponsorship’s duration.”

“Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in Ireland and has moved from a niche sport to a mainstream one with over 18,000 members and an ever increasing reach. The relationship with BMW will provide significant extra income to help us grow and accelerate the development of the sport further.”

“Both organisations are ambitious and goal focussed and the injection of additional funds and the value in kind will help enable us to not only achieve but exceed the aspirations within our Strategic Plan.”

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Image Credit: Morgan treacy, Inpho Photography