HAMBURG, Germany – With one year until the triathlon competition at the Beijing Olympics, the sport expects record television coverage for next week’s BG Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.  The International Triathlon Union will offer the most comprehensive media and TV package in its history.

The championships kick off on August 31st and will boast the most extensive live TV coverage of any ITU Triathlon World championship, which have been staged since 1989.

ITU has given first priority to free-to-air broadcasters in order to maximise the exposure and reach of the sport.  Several major European broadcasters have confirmed live coverage of the event including ARD and ZDF in Germany, BBC in the UK, Canal + in France, SRG / SSR in Switzerland and ORF in Austria.

“This year marks a very important breakthrough for triathlon,” stated Brian Mahony, ITU Director of Media and Television.  “Our goal is to secure a global audience for the sport of triathlon, and international live coverage is an important stepping stone in achieving this goal.”

Because of the short duration of the events and difference in time zones, triathlon has traditionally faced difficulties in achieving live international coverage.  However, in addition to the 22 territories where the event will be broadcast live, it will also be tape-delayed in a record number of countries.  In all, extended coverage of the 2007 BG Triathlon World Championships will be seen in over 118 countries.  Coupled with news highlights, also available via satellite feeds, the largest global audience is expected for a triathlon but still could have been higher.

“By the time we were able to confirm live coverage, some networks weren’t able to alter their schedules and had prior broadcast commitments,” said Mahony.  “But with the Olympics next year and with increased television coverage for these world championships, we expect the interest in triathlon to continue to grow exponentially in the coming years.”

For full details on the channels and air times covering the Hamburg BG Triathlon World Championships, visit http://www.triathlon.org/, the official ITU website.