The first year of Antonio Fernández Arimany at the helm of World Triathlon has coincided with one of the most open-minded shifts the sport has experienced. In an interview with ‘Marca’, the Spanish president reviews a season that, as he sums up, “has been more intense than I thought it could be” and in which steps have been taken that reveal the new DNA of a federation that now opens itself to models born outside its traditional umbrella. Arimany advocates for a “more global and more unified” approach that allows triathlon to grow in visibility, commercial reach and international relevance.
That spirit explains decisions such as the integration of Hyrox —a competition outside the classic federative circuits— into its multi-sport structure. For the leader, “we are an open, flexible federation”, capable of recognising sporting realities that did not originate within its institutional pyramid but that nevertheless bring community, youth and growth potential. This attitude reflects the democratisation driving his mandate: working to help the sport evolve, not just the institution.
“The sport was totally fragmented”
Arimany points out that what satisfies him most about this year is “having started a new path” and approaching triathlon from a different perspective, one aimed at greater exposure and at ensuring that “both the athletes and the national federations benefit from it”. To achieve this, they commissioned Deloitte to carry out an analysis that confirmed his suspicion: “The sport was totally fragmented”. The multiplicity of private organisers raised questions among investors: “Why should I invest in you and not the other one?”.
After months of talks came the major breakthrough: the alliance with PTO. “We are going to have almost 70 events that we will be able to commercialise throughout the year”, the president explains, convinced that this unification will make triathlon “more present in the media and on television”. Relations with other brands are fluid: “With Challenge… with Supertri… with Ironman I am meeting this very week”. The goal is clear: “If we unite, we will all win. If we divide, we are all smaller”.
The new commercial era: T50 and the Triathlon World Tour
The next step is branding. World Triathlon’s flagship product will no longer be called World Triathlon Series and will instead become T50, a distinctive identity that, Arimany says, “is going to grow thanks to PTO’s resources”. Their joint strategy will culminate in 2027 with the Triathlon World Tour, a global circuit integrating T100, T50 and the World Cups: “For the first time, the main competitions are unified under a single brand”. The commercial potential is huge: “Our sport combines elite performance with mass participation, a combination that is very attractive to new investors”.
Interest is coming from everywhere. “Our major investors are American, British, European… as well as the Saudi sovereign fund and groups from Abu Dhabi and Qatar”. This financial strength will allow prize money to increase: “Our prizes were lower than those of T100 and now they will double”.
Hyrox and the Olympic Games
The transparency and horizontal decision-making of this new cycle are especially visible in the incorporation of Hyrox. World Triathlon approved its entry as a Fitness Racing discipline. Arimany describes it as “the fastest-growing sport in the world”, with striking numbers: “This year it will have 1,200,000 participants… next year it will reach 2 million”. Its compatibility with triathlon is clear: “The community of people practicing Hyrox is very similar to those practicing triathlon”.
The relationship, he explains, developed naturally thanks to his connection with the founder, Christian Toetzke: “He always told me what he was doing, what he had invented”. World Triathlon saw an opportunity: “We are a multi-sport federation… we have the possibility to embrace it”. Moreover, Hyrox aspires to become an Olympic sport and needed an international federation: “Since we recognised them, our national federations will start to recognise them and, consequently, governments as well”. The aim is to integrate Hyrox into a regulated sports structure, from anti-doping to officiating.
Regarding the potential inclusion of new distances such as T100 in the Olympic programme, the president explains their strategic shift: “We want to propose something that offers commercial and social value”. If the circuit grows with PTO, they will present it to the IOC: “It will be attractive not only because we say so, but because the Organising Committee says ‘I want to have that discipline’”.
