In light of the tremendous success last year, the Comtech Group and the Sylvan Adams Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministries of Tourism, the Triathlon Association and the Municipality of Tiberias announced today (Monday) that the “IRONMAN – ISRAEL MIDDLE EAST CHAMPIONSHIP” triathlon will be held for the first time in Israel on November 25, 2022. This is the first regional championship, one in five worldwide, with competitors from the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and other neighboring countries also expected to take part in the championship.
This is the first time the full-distance competition of the international brand IRONMAN has been held in the Middle East and 75 places will be awarded for the 2023 World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. The Comtec team in partnership with the Sylvan Adams Foundation, which is behind bringing the major sporting events to Israel, the Giro d’Italia, the Eurobasket, the Grand Slam Judo Competition, the French Super Cup football games and Argentina – Uruguay, initiates and produces the competition in Israel.
The “IRONMAN” competition is considered the most prestigious triathlon competition that can be won and it consists of three parts: swimming, cycling and running. The triathlon is held non-stop when the participants have a limited time to finish each and all sections of the competition and a total roof time to complete it and therefore it challenges the edge of human ability, physically and mentally.
As part of the IRONMAN event in Tiberias, two races will take place:
· A full IRONMAN race that will include 3.8 km of swimming in the Sea of Galilee, 180 km of cycling and 42.2 km of marathon running.
· IRONMAN 70.3 race that will include 1.8 km of swimming in the Sea of Galilee, 90 km of cycling and 21.1 running.
Registration for “IRONMAM” will begin on March 1, on the official website of the competition.
Sylvan AdamsHonorary President of IRONMAN Israel Middle East Championship, said: “In light of the great success of the IRONMAN 70.3 competition last year, I am excited about choosing IRONMAN to hold the full competition, the Middle East Championship, in Tiberias for the first time this year. “We are the best athletes from all over the world to Israel. We expect and welcome the tens of thousands of athletes from our neighboring countries who will come to compete on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and this is a historic event for the entire region.”
Boaz Yosef, Chairman of the Commission in charge of Tiberias, added: “I am pleased that thanks to the impressive success in hosting the competition last year, we are the only city in Israel to host for the second time in a row the prestigious Iron World competition and this time in its full format. Hosting the competition, which is also the Middle East Championship, establishes and strengthens Tiberias’ status as an international sports city – a city that knows how to host the most prestigious sports competitions with many high-quality athletes from all over the world. “I am confident that the athletes and tourists who come from abroad will be exposed to one of the historic cities that is important to all religions. Tiberias has the most amazing location in the world, with magical views and the Sea of Galilee which is the national lake of Israel.”