According to reports Ironman World Championship to be split between Nice and Kona next year

Yesterday we posted a story outlining eight possible options for next year’s Ironman World Championship based on the rumours and news that the local community in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii weren’t too keen on hosting the event over two days.

Now it’s being reported that next year’s race will be split between Kona and Nice, France. Triathlon Today reports that according to unnamed sources, next year’s world championship event will be split between Nice and Kona. The men, including pros and age groupers, will compete in Nice on Sept. 10, while the women will compete in Kona in October – presumably on Oct. 14. According to Tri-Today the men and women will rotate between the two venues – the women will compete in Nice in 2024, with the men competing in Kona.

Nice has long been one of the sport’s most historic race sites. The city has hosted an Ironman race since 2005. Before that the Nice Triathlon, which started in 1982, was one of the sport’s most famous events.

Related: Is Kona really going back to one day next year?

Last May Ironman CEO Andrew Messick made it clear that the future of the Ironman World Championship required two days of racing, and also indicated that if the Big Island couldn’t handle that he could envision the event moving to a new venue. While this year’s event, with two days of racing, was certainly a success, it put a lot of strain on the local community, which has pushed back against a repeat of that format for next year.

We’ve reached out to officials at Ironman for comment on the rumours, but haven’t heard back. We’ll update the story with any news.