Columbia Threadneedle Investments named as title sponsor of World Triathlon Leeds

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE ITU, BRITISH TRIATHLON, LEEDS CITY COUNCIL AND UK SPORT

Columbia Threadneedle Investments named as title sponsor of World Triathlon Leeds

Columbia Threadneedle Investments, a leading global asset management group, has been confirmed as the title sponsor for the Leeds round of the prestigious 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series next summer.

The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds will take place on 11-12 June 2016 and is set to feature the world’s best triathletes racing around Leeds city centre, as well as amateur athletes experiencing the thrill of competing on the same course in front of huge crowds.

As the current Global Financial Services sponsor of the ITU World Triathlon Series and official Rankings partner, the Leeds sponsorship announcement builds on Columbia Threadneedle’s already successful relationship with the sport of triathlon.

Rupert Pybus, Global Head of Brand and Marketing at Columbia Threadneedle, said: “We are delighted to extend our association with the ITU World Triathlon Series to become the title sponsor of the 2016 event in Leeds. The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds will provide substantial global exposure for our brand during an Olympic year. We are excited to give our clients, especially those based in Yorkshire and the north, unique access to participate in front of thousands of enthusiastic triathlon fans.”

As well as elite GB athletes featuring in their final home triathlon before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which commences in one year's time (5^th August 2016), the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds will welcome thousands of amateur athletes to compete over the two day event. Entries for the mass participation races are due to go on sale later this month via the new event website launched today leeds.triathlon.org. Interest is already high with thousands of people having registered their interest in taking part, spectating or volunteering via www.britishtriathlon.org/leeds.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said: “We are delighted to be working with the ITU, British Triathlon, Lagardère, UK Sport and all the partners on this wonderful event, and very much welcome Columbia Threadneedle Investments as the title sponsor. This announcement of their involvement, along with the event website going live today, is another exciting step along the way as we build to what I’m sure will be a very special weekend showcasing our city to the world next June.

“Hosting the ITU World Triathlon Series in Leeds will be fantastic, as the event will have something for everyone. People will be able to take part by volunteering to help run the event, get their first taste of triathlon or line the route to give their support and generate an amazing atmosphere. Anyone keen to take on the challenge of the mass-participation elements will be able to sign up in a few weeks, so don’t miss out on the chance to be part of something incredible.”

British Triathlon Director for Major and National Events, Jon Ridgeon said: “There is a fantastic buzz surrounding the ITU World Triathlon Series coming to Leeds next year. To confirm Columbia Threadneedle Investments as title sponsor almost a year in advance of the event, demonstrates the prestige and commercial attraction of both the ITU World Triathlon Series and the sport of triathlon.”

ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado added: “Columbia Threadneedle has been a fantastic sponsor of the ITU World Triathlon Series, and the city of Leeds has already been incredibly enthusiastic about its addition to the 2016 WTS calendar. This partnership is going to make for one phenomenal race that triathletes will not want to miss out on."

To find out more about the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, part of UK Sport’s National Lottery funded #EveryRoadtoRio series, visit the official event website: leeds.triathlon.org

Watch the short video featuring GB triathletes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, Non Stanford and Vicky Holland: Click here to view leeds.triathlon.org

Follow WTS Leeds on social media: Facebook & Twitter

Entries for the mass participation events will go on sale via leeds.triathlon.org later this month. To be the first to hear when entries open, individuals are being encouraged to pre-register. British Triathlon will also provide an exclusive week-long priority booking window for Home Nation members. To join your Home Nation, visit www.britishtriathlon.org/join

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Gorman on 07739 456644 or helengorman@britishtriathlon.org or Tom Goldspink on 07795415452 tomgoldspink@britishtriathlon.org

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset management group that provides a broad range of actively managed investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world. With more than 2000 people including over 450 investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia, we manage £323 billion¹ of assets across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, asset allocation solutions and alternatives.

Our priority is the investment success of our clients. We aim to deliver the investment outcomes our clients expect through an investment approach that is team-based, performance-driven and risk-aware.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments started its successful relationship with the ITU World Series in 2013 and has since become global financial services sponsor.

The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings

As a global asset manager Columbia Threadneedle Investments recognises the importance of being the best in the field, not just at home, but on a global basis. The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings are used to determine the best performing triathletes across the ITU World Triathlon Series.

The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Leader Trophy is presented to the top male and female elite athlete at each ITU World Triathlon Series event. In 2015 the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Leader will continue to wear the bespoke race markings and carry the colours of the new Rankings logo on their bike rack in transition.

Launched in 2015, the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Report identifies the trends and interesting statistics after each event throughout the season.

The official Columbia Threadneedle Rankings can be accessed at www.wts.triathlon.org/ColumbiaThreadneedleRankings. Engage with the conversation on social media using the hashtag #CT_Rankings, or follow @CTinvest_Tri

For media enquiries please contact:

Laura Cook, 020 7464 5650, laura.cook@columbiathreadneedle.com

Ella Tekdag, 020 7464 5082, ella.tekdag@columbiathreadneedle.com

All figures as at 30 June 2015. ¹ Source: Ameriprise Financial Q2 2015 earnings release. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investments and any income is not guaranteed and can go down as well as up and may be affected by exchange rate fluctuations. This means that an investor may not get back the amount invested. This material is for information only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation of an order to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments, or to provide investment advice or services. Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global brand name of the Columbia and Threadneedle group of companies.

About British Triathlon

British Triathlon is the Governing Body for the sport in Great Britain. It is responsible for raising the profile and delivering elite performance for Triathlon, Paratriathlon, Duathlon and Aquathlon in Great Britain. Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic sport with talented world class athletes, coaches and support staff, focused around delivering world-class events and medal winning performances. Visit www.britishtriathlon.org for more information.

Visit www.britishtriathlonmedia.org for downloadable image galleries, detailed athlete profiles, results, stats and information.

About Leeds City Council:

Leeds City Council is the second-largest local authority in England with a population of around 776,000. Leeds has a very proud sporting heritage and we are committed to encouraging sport as a way of promoting the city and healthy lifestyles, as well as bringing world-class events. This can be seen in the success of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ and the forthcoming Rugby World Cup 2015, building towards our ambition to become European Capital of Culture 2023. The council works in partnership with the city’s three universities, national governing bodies and key stakeholders to develop sport from grassroots to elite level. Visit www.leeds.gov.uk for more information.

About Lagardere Unlimited Events:

Lagardère Unlimited is one of the world's leading sports and entertainment agencies and forms part of the Lagardère Group. The events division of Lagardère Unlimited specialises in the promotion, marketing, organisation and delivery of televised events. Its business in the UK focusses on the delivery of mass participation endurance sports (triathlon and cycling) for elite and lifestyle participants. Events in the Lagardere Unlimited Events UK portfolio include the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds and Velothon Wales.

About the International Triathlon Union (ITU):

The International Triathlon Union is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related MultiSport disciplines including Duathlon, Aquathlon, CrossTriathlon and Winter Triathlon.

ITU was founded in 1989 at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. It has maintained its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada since then and also has offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and Madrid,Spain. It now has over 167 affiliated National Federations on five continents and is the youngest International Federation in the Olympic Games. Triathlon was awarded Olympic Games status in 1994 and made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000.

Triathlon is also featured in the Asian Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. Paratriathlon was accepted into the Paralympic Games in2010 and will make its Paralympic debut in Rio 2016. ITU is proudly committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide through strong relationships with continental and national federations, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme from grassroots to a high-performance level.

For more information, visit:

www.triathlon.org

About UK Sport:

UK Sport is the nation’s high performance sports agency responsible for the strategic investment of National Lottery and Exchequer funding into Olympic and Paralympic sports and bringing major sporting events to the UK.

Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds is part of UK Sport’s #EveryRoadtoRio events series, which will feature over 30 world class sports events the length and breadth of the UK, with over 900,000 tickets available to the British public to support their athletes.

This ambitious National Lottery funded programme will support British athletes’ preparation and qualification for Rio 2016, with up to 95 direct and over 300 indirect qualification spots available, while generating economic impact for host cities and regions of over £37 million. Upcoming events include the European Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Worcester in August and the Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester in October.

Throughout the #EveryRoadtoRio series UK Sport will be promoting exclusive ticket offers, opportunities to meet the athletes and get privileged behind the scenes access to events. Sign up now at www.uksport.gov.uk/events