In Malta the sport has picked more that just the roots. Local competitions start in March and end in October with the Malta International Olympic Distance and National championships. Thanks to their sponsors most local athletes compete in international events all around Europe and worldwide. B'Kara St.Joseph Ironfalcons has been national club champions for the past five and years and so far heads on to win the third consecutive title.
Triathlon will be on the Olympic program for the first time at Sydney in 2000 and will be contested on the first two days of competition. The sport has experienced a rapid rise in global popularity and status since its first official world championships in 1989.
• Triathlon derives its names from the three activities all athletes must complete to finish a race: the swim, the cycle and the run. A world-class triathlete must excel at these three very different athletic pursuits.
• Triathlon, despite its short history, already has 105 nations affiliated with the International Triathlon Union. The sport's showcase event is the grueling Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon, which is now a major event on the world's athletic calendar.
• The triathlon will provide one of the lasting visual impressions of the 2000 Games. Sydney's Harbor, Harbor Bridge, Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens will be the scenic backdrop for the men's and women's races. The course consists of a 1.5km swim in open water, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run through Sydney's city center.
• Triathlon demands the highest degree of discipline from competitors because absolute dedication is required to combine high-performance swimming, cycling and running into a training schedule.
