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Ironman announces that Nice, a historic city for triathlon, will host the men’s race and co-organize the 2023 Vinfast Ironman World Championship.
Following the previous IRONMAN World Championship announcement, which indicated its continued commitment to dedicated race days for men and women, it was announced today that Nice will host the 2023 men’s edition as co-organizer of the IRONMAN World Championship.
The race will take place on September 10, 2023, further positioning the French Riviera city as Europe’s number one long-distance triathlon destination. Women will compete in their World Championships on October 14, 2023, in Kona. In 2024, men will go to Kona and women to Nice, and the rotation will continue until 2026, with both cities jointly hosting triathlon’s flagship event.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining a dedicated IRONMAN World Championship event for women and men, IRONMAN quickly identified Nice, among other world-renowned candidate cities, as a particularly suitable historic triathlon destination to become a dual host for the event. The city has all the arguments to guarantee an exceptional experience.
“In 2022, we saw the power of a two-day IRONMAN World Championship, with dedicated race days for professional women and men. We believe in this concept not only to showcase the quality of female and male athletes but also to further invest in the growth of triathlon. Nice, as the European birthplace of long-distance triathlon, is the ideal location to present this evolution,” said Andrew Messick, President and CEO of the IRONMAN Group. “We are grateful to Mayor Christian Estrosi and the city of Nice, who share our vision of creating a world-class championship race for men in 2023, and then for women in 2024.”
Over the years, Nice and the French Riviera have established themselves as a major sports destination, hosting numerous world-class sporting events. The prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes, Nice is the birthplace of long-distance triathlon in Europe, since the launch of the “Triathlon International de Nice” in 1982. From 1994 to 2002, the city hosted the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships five times. The Triathlon International de Nice then became an IRONMAN event in 2005. Since then, the city has been one of the most popular venues on the IRONMAN circuit, hosting both IRONMAN France Nice, IRONMAN 70.3 Nice, and the flagship event of the IRONMAN 70.3 series, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2019.
From 2010 to 2016, Nice also hosted the “Open de Nice Côte d’Azur” tennis tournament. In 2002 and 2012, the World Figure Skating Championships were organized in the city. During the UEFA European Championship 2016, a total of four matches were played at the Stade de Nice. International football returned in 2019 to the French Riviera city with six matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nice will host four Rugby World Cup matches this year and will be the finish city for the Tour de France 2024.
By adding the role of co-organizer of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship 2023, Nice has proven to be a popular and historic destination, with a history and culture capable of attracting elite athletes from around the world. The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, played a crucial and decisive role in convincing IRONMAN to entrust the city of Nice with the joint organization, with Kailua-Kona, of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship.
“Nice has established itself as a true land of sport and has become a recognized reference worldwide,” said Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice. “It hosts major events every year such as the Paris-Nice cycling race, which will celebrate its 90th anniversary next March, the IRONMAN France Nice and IRONMAN 70.3 Nice triathlons, which now take place on the same weekend in June, as well as the Alpes-Maritimes Marathon, the Prom’Classic, and the Half Marathon. In the coming months, Nice will shine even brighter, thanks to hosting the biggest competitions, such as the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship, the 2023 Hopman Cup tennis tournament, the 2023 Rugby World Cup with 4 matches at the Allianz Riviera, the historic finish of the Tour de France 2024, and the 2024 Olympic football events.”
“I was deputy sports director for the city of Nice when we organized the first editions of the Nice International Triathlon, where the big stars were Mark Allen, Yves Cordier, and Paula Newby-Fraser, and naturally I saw Nice’s capacity… to be a world-class event in this discipline. But I never imagined that one day we could have such recognition. It was an honor to organize an IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2019 and that showed IRONMAN the potential of Nice to organize such an event.”
Triathlon’s elite have experienced significant moments in Nice while building career highlights in Kona. The Queen of Kona, Paula Newby-Fraser, who won the IRONMAN World Championship eight times, could just as easily be known as the Queen of Nice with six victories at the Nice International Triathlon. Mark Allen, six-time IRONMAN World Champion, holds an incredible 10-year winning streak in Nice. Like them, many professionals have come to race in Nice, helping to make it one of the most prestigious triathlon destinations in the world over the years, such as Yves Cordier, Natascha Badmann, Erin Baker, Leanda Cave, Tine Deckers, Paula Newby-Fraser, Frederik Van Lierde, Luc Van Lierde, Simon Lessing, Scott Molina, Peter Reid, Dave Scott, and Scott Tinley.
As part of this major change to ensure dedicated IRONMAN World Championship races for women and men, the qualification cycle and slot allocation have been adjusted to compensate for the shift in the season of the men’s edition of the IRONMAN World Championship. Updated information is available at www.ironman.com/im-world-
Source: Press Release
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