Para triathlon is a variant of the triathlon for athletes with a physical disability. The sport is governed by World Triathlon (TRI; formerly known as the International Triathlon Union or ITU), and was first held as a Paralympic event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1][2]
At events sanctioned by World Triathlon, athletes compete over a para triathlon sprint distance event with a 750 m swim, 20 km cycle using handcycles, bicycles or tandem bicycles with a guide and a 5 km wheelchair or running race.[3] Athletes compete in nine sport classes according to the nature of their physical impairments, with variations made to the traditional event structure commensurate with their disability.[4]
Paratriathlon at the Summer Paralympics is a sprint race consisting of 750 m swimming, 20 km cycling and 5 km running stages.[2]
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, para triathlon was staged with athletes across multiple categories, with staggered starts introduced to ensure fair competition between categories.