Breaking: WTCS Montreal cancelled for 2024

With organizers still waiting for confirmation of “public” funders for this year’s race, the board of directors for the World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal race has decided to cancel the race.

“Unfortunately, as of last week, we did not receive sufficient confirmations from public funders regarding the WTCS to complete a responsible budgetary planning,” WTCS Montreal president Patrice Brunet wrote in an email. “Applications have been filed, but with most formal replies not having been received yet at this late date, our board is not prepared to move forward with such a big risk, as public funding represents over 70 per cent of the budget.”

The women put on a show at WTCS Montreal – Photo Gallery #1

According to Brunet, the paratriathlon event the group also organizes remains in a “fluid situation to maintain the event … although it’s likely to move forward as planned.”

The challenge of confirming government funding for events in Canada is hardly a new one. Last year’s Canadian Open had to be cancelled when the City of Edmonton couldn’t commit to funding the race, and provincial funding decisions were delayed.

According to a source familiar with the situation, another World Cup race will be added to the WTCS series for this year, which will keep the WTCS series at five races along with the Series finale in Torremolinas-Andalucia. Since it would make sense that the race would take place after Montreal was scheduled and before the Grand Final, Weihai, China and Valencia, Spain would be the logical options. Since Spain already has a WTCS event in Cagliari and Torremolinas-Andalucia, China would seem to be the most logical choice.

A slippery ride and a fast run make for an exciting men’s race at WTCS Montreal – Photo Gallery #2

We’ll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.