Age Group World Championships
Anyone Can Represent Their Country and Compete Internationally
In Triathlon and Multisport, there’s a world championship for every age group 16 and over in 5-year intervals in every discipline.
Through a worldwide series of qualifying local races run by the national federations, recreational athletes can compete for the right to represent their country in their own age group.
Every year, various races across Canada are designated National Team Qualifiers. Some of these are Triathlon Ontario-sanctioned races across the province. Athletes qualify by finishing high enough in their age group in a qualifying race.
Age-group athletes who qualify will be invited to join Triathlon Canada’s Age Group National Team. Being a part of the team at a World Championship is a great multisport experience many athletes train for years to achieve.
To start your Age-Group World Championship journey, read through the qualification information on this page, then check out this year’s qualifying races below.
Championship Venues
2025 Age Group World Championship Venues
Pontevedra, Spain, June 20-29: Sprint Duathlon, Standard Duathlon, Long Distance Triathlon, Long Distance Aquabike, Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon
Wallongong, Australia, October 15-19: Sprint Triathlon, Standard Triathlon, Mixed Team Relay
2026 Age Group World Championship Venues
Pontevedra, Spain: Sprint Triathlon, Standard Triathlon, Mixed Team Relay
Abu Dhabi, UAE: Sprint Duathlon, Standard Duathlon, Long Distance Triathlon, Long Distance Aquabike, Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon
2025 Ontario Age Group Qualification Races
Sprint Triathlon
Subaru Series Guelph Lake 1
Guelph Lake 1, June 15
1 Spot
Sprint Triathlon
Toronto Triathlon Festival
Toronto, July 27
1 Spot
Sprint Triathlon
MultiSport Canada Wasaga Beach
Wasaga Beach, August 23
1 Spot
Standard Triathlon
MultiSport Canada Rose City
Welland, June 21
1 Spot
Standard Triathlon
Subaru Series Owen Sound
Owen Sound, July 20
1 Spot
Standard Triathlon
Toronto Triathlon Festival
Toronto, July 27
1 Spot
Standard Duathlon
MultiSport Canada Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst, June 7
1 Spot
Sprint Duathlon
Subaru Series Guelph Lake 1
Guelph Lake 1, June 14
1 Spot
Standard Duathlon
Subaru Series Owen Sound
Owen Sound, July 20
1 Spot
Sprint Duathlon
MultiSport Canada Bracebridge
Bracebridge, July 23
1 Spot
Long Course Triathlon
MultiSport Canada K-Town
Kingston, July 20
1 Spot
Long Course Aquabike
Niagara Falls Barrelman
Welland, September 14
1 Spot
Aquathlon Provincial Championships
Triathlon Ontario
Aquathlon Provincial Championships
Milton, TBC Wednesday Evening Mid-August
Up to 3 Spots
Standard Aquabike
MultiSport Canada Rose City Triathlon
Welland, June 21
1 Spot
Standard Aquabike
Subaru Series Owen Sound
Owen Sound, July 28
2 Spots
Mixed Team Relay
Triathlon Ontario
Draft Legal Provincial Championships
Welland, August 30
3 Spots
Age Group World Championship Qualification
For more details about the World Triathlon Age Group Championships or criteria for being a part of the National Team, please contact Triathlon Canada at [email protected] or visit their website at www.triathloncanada.com.
Athlete Requirements
In order to be selected for a national team, an athlete:
- Must meet World Triathlon nationality requirements to represent Canada at age group international competition;
- Must be a member of their home province’s provincial association, prior to each qualifying race;
- Must register an EOI (Expression Of Interest) online, prior to each qualifying race;
- At a qualifying race, must either:
- Place high enough in their age-adjusted age group to qualify outright, or;
- Having placed higher than 8th in their age-adjusted age group, is offered an unclaimed roll-down slot, and;
- Must continue to be a member of their home province’s provincial association in the year of the World Triathlon AG Championship race.
Age Adjustment
Qualifying race results will be adjusted into five year age categories based on competitor’s ages as of December 31 of the year of the Championship. This age adjustment applies regardless of any other age group structure used at a qualifying race. The age adjusted results will be used to determine the qualified athletes from those who have submitted an EOI prior to each qualifying race.
Roll Down Policy
Triathlon Canada is offering an opportunity to claim a roll-down spot. Athletes who meet the requirements above may be offered a roll-down spot based on their placing. The number of roll-down spots offered will depend on the number of qualifying spots and the number of qualifying athletes at each race.
How to Qualify
Ontario athletes interested in qualifying for a national team should:
- Ensure their Triathlon Ontario membership is up to date and contact information is correct;
- Consult the list of Ontario qualifiers, as well as any out-of province qualifiers;
- Register for one or more qualifying races;
- Once the EOI registration becomes available (three weeks prior to the specific event), register their EOI for each race, and;
- Train for the best result possible!
Notice of Qualification
Triathlon Canada will notify qualified athletes directly.
Qualification FAQ
Roll-Down
What is a roll-down?
A roll-down is a method of allocating unclaimed qualifying spots based on race ranking.
There are many ways to roll down qualifying spots. In this case, Triathlon Canada has chosen a largely online, expression-of-interest based system.
Qualifying races receive a number of qualifying spots. A spot refers to one spot for each male and each female in each five-year, age-adjusted age group.
This means that at a qualifying race with one spot, the first place male and the first place female in each age group qualify. First place in AG = you qualify.
In races with two or more spots, the first and second, and perhaps the third, fourth, etc. place athlete qualifies.
Roll-down happens when some spots go unclaimed. Perhaps an athlete has already qualified at an earlier race, doesn’t want the spot, or there aren’t enough athletes in the age group.
In a roll down, unclaimed spots are offered to athletes in order of their placing. If the first place athlete doesn’t claim their spot, it will be offered to the second place athlete, then the third, and so on.
Athletes often enter qualifying race hoping to qualify on roll-down.
What is the minimum placing to qualify on roll-down?
8th place.
Athletes placing lower than 8th in their age-adjusted age group will not qualify, regardless of roll-down spot availability.
Remember that this is based on the age-adjusted age group, not the race age groups – so placings reported at the qualifying race may change substantially. You may have been 9th in your age group at the qualifying race, but if you or another athlete ahead of you is age adjusted into a different age group, you might still qualify. Likewise, you may have been 7th but be age-adjusted out of qualifying position.
Age-Adjustment
What are age-adjusted results?
For qualifying purposes, results from qualifying races are adjusted into five-year age groups based on athlete age as of December 31 on the year of the championship.
This means that the age-adjusted age groups used to determine qualifiers may be very different from the age groups used at a qualifying race.
How do age-adjusted results differ from race results?
Age-adjusted results will differ from race results because most races determine age groups based on athlete age as of December 31 on the year of the qualifying race – not the year of the championship, which is usually a year later.
In addition, many qualifying races, particularly smaller races, may use ten-year age groups or even no age groups at all. The age groups used at a qualifying race have no bearing on those used for qualification.
Due to these age-adjusted results, an athlete’s placing for qualification may be very different from their placing at a qualifying race. Other athletes may be age-adjusted into or out of an age group, affecting the placings. Athletes often confuse their placing reported in the qualifying race results with the age-adjusted results used for qualification. This often happens in duathlon, where ten-year age groups are common.
How do I tell if I’ve qualified when results will be age-adjusted?
Athletes who qualify will receive an email notice of qualification from Triathlon Canada, within 30 days of their receiving the official age-adjusted results.
In practice, receiving a notice of Qualification may take up to 6 weeks after a qualifying race.
Short of knowing the birth dates of everyone in the race, it’s not possible to tell for certain if an individual athlete has qualified until a notice of qualification is received from Triathlon Canada.
How are results age-adjusted?
Official race results are formally reported to Triathlon Ontario by the race organizer within 7 days of a qualifying race. Once these results are received, they are age-adjusted and reported to Triathlon Canada, who will inform qualifying athletes within 30 days of receiving official age-adjusted results.
Triathlon Ontario does not make qualification decisions, will not provide age-adjusted results, and cannot confirm whether an athlete has qualified. Please do not contact TO for your qualification status.
Should I race again if I think I‘ve qualified, but haven’t received a notice of qualification?
In cases where an athlete isn’t 100% sure they’ve qualified, it may be advisable to enter another qualifying race in order to increase the chances of qualifying.
Expressions of Interest
What is an EOI?
EOI stands for Expression Of Interest.
In this case, and EOI is an online registration of your interest in qualifying for the 2020 Age Group World Championships National Team.
The EOI will be done online through CCN, the same platform used for Triathlon Ontario membership and many race registrations.
In order to qualify you must register an EOI prior to racing a qualifying race.
Registering your EOI confirms your contact information, your membership in your provincial association, and your eligibility for a roll-down spot.
Do I need to register an EOI for each qualifying race?
Yes.
You must register an EOI for each qualifying race at which you wish to qualify.
Is there a charge to register an EOI?
Yes.
Triathlon Canada will charge a non-refundable $20 to register an EOI.
For those who successfully qualify, this charge will be applied to their team management fee. For those who do not qualify, this charge may be applied to a charity entry.
What if I place well enough to qualify, but didn’t register an EOI?
Athletes who fail to register an EOI (Expression Of Interest) prior to their qualifying race will not qualify at that race, regardless of finishing position.
Out-of-Province and Out-of-Country Athletes
Can I qualify at an out-of-province qualifying race?
Yes.
Athletes who are members of their home provincial association may qualify an any qualifying race nationwide.
Will placings be adusted to remove out-of-province athletes?
No.
Out-of-province athletes are able to qualify at Ontario qualifying races and therefore placings will include out-of-province athletes.
Note that at out-of-province qualifying races, Ontario athletes will be competing against local athletes for qualifying spots. Likewise, any out-of-province athletes racing in Ontario will be competing for Ontario qualifying spots.
Will placings be adjusted to remove out-of-country athletes?
Yes.
Athletes who do not meet ITU nationality requirements to represent Canada at age group international competition are not eligible for the Canadian National Team and will be removed from the age-adjusted results.
This can substantially affect placings.