Malta will host the Super League Triathlon (SLT) next month as the second calendar event takes place along the Grand Harbour on October 19-20. SLT promises to be a game-changer in terms of the sport as the league boasts having some of the best athletes in the world while still remaining a “triathlon for everybody”.
High-profile athletes such as last year’s winners of Malta leg, Frenchman Vincent Luis and Katie Zaferes from the US will be back to retain their status, along with others like Jonny Brownlee and Henri Schoeman in the men’s division and Rachel Klamer and Taylor Spivey in the women’s races.
CEO and co-founder of SLT Michael D’Hulst told the Times of Malta that preparations are already underway. “It’s obviously year two so we’ve been (to Malta) before, we know how it is,” D’hulst said.
“We’ve added an event - a European championship for youths and juniors. We’ve asked federations from different nations to bring their best kids to Malta to race. SLT is growing and we’re adding a lot of activities with SportMalta and it’s all free because we want to make sure it’s a big festival of sport.”
D’hulst explained how this year is special for the sport as most of its athletes will be preparing for next year’s Olympics. He said it presents an opportunity to put all eyes back on Triathlon as well as being a way to develop further after the Games are over. “We’re looking forward to 2020, to have qualifier events in all continents of the world to cover pretty much everywhere. We’ll also be adding five championship events to complete the 10-race calendar.”
Asked about the choice of Malta as one of their locations, D’hulst stressed the league’s ideal of having triathlon become a spectator sport. “We need to make it nice and interesting. We already have the best athletes in the world working with us but we also need beautiful locations. So obviously Malta is a unique location which inspires people. Because we have such a large television footprint, we want people to look at our races and get inspired,” D’hulst explained.
In this regard, Malta’s Tourism Authority (MTA), as well as the Ministry of Tourism, are looking to use this to Malta’s advantage. Tourism minister Konrad Mizzi told the Times of Malta that the greatest investment being carried out is in infrastructure. “With the event taking place in Cottonera, the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation is investing in regenerating the area. This is especially because, like Valletta, this area has great potential for high-end tourism,” minister Mizzi said.
“Apart from that, with the help of this event and our sponsorship, which is within the MTA’s budget despite it being a major investment, we are ensuring that we can have a good marketing reach from sports channels around the world especially in Asia and the US. The backdrop of the Grand Harbour is obviously very powerful.”
Minister Mizzi also mentioned that both parties have discussed corporate social responsibility initiatives which include athletes visiting local schools and hosting events with youths. “This is part of the Government’s strategy and we want to push as much collaboration as we can with the ministry for sport,” he said.
D’hulst also referred to outreach programmes such as the above as being very important to SLT. “We have a very big agenda on getting people active so the combination of (the island) being beautiful with our agenda being in line with what the sports ministry is looking for is, to me, a good match.”
The need for local athletes to become part of the event also arose as both parties look to include local talent in the events. Minister Mizzi said that while the Super League has its own challenges, the MTA has held discussions over promoting local athletes. “We have many athletes who take part in triathlons across the world already, so I would wish that they’d be part of this as well.”
On his part, D’Hulst remarked that the events are ever-growing. “We already host a running race with Nike and an Aquathlon with Garmin both in Malta but we’re adding more events for people to participate in. The centrepiece has to be the best (athletes) in the world but around it is a festival of sport and inspiring a healthier lifestyle.