The phrase “money makes the world go round” was attributed to the author Paul van der Merwe and the world of elite triathlon is no exception. For the sport to function, particularly on a global level, it is highly dependent on external sponsorship.
By itself World Triathlon does not have the funding or means to foot the bill for the WTCS. As a result, it has entered into a series of sponsorship arrangements for its flagship product.
The question is: who actually sponsors the Series and who is putting money into the sport?
While some of the names may by now be familiar to you, some might not be so recognisable.
Maurice Lacroix
Maurice Lacroix is the title sponsor of the World Triathlon Championship Series and is one of the core backers of the sport. The brand took on its role as the official timekeeper for the Series in 2021.
As a watchmaker, Maurice Lacroix has more than 40 years of experience from its base in Saignelégier, Switzerland. As per World Triathlon, Maurice Lacroix’s culture is “to offer affordable watches, with iconic design and high perceived value”.
NTT
Otherwise known as the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, the NTT Group’s vision is to create a connected world.
As one of the world’s largest ICT companies, the NTT Group comprises a select group of global technology companies. Altogether NTT’S combined global operations generate a total revenue of $105 billion (USD) across 230 data centres in 88 countries worldwide.
NTT has also sponsored Asian Cup races for World Triathlon, such as the 2021 Asia Cup in Gamagori, Japan.
ASICS
A globally-recognised shoe brand, ASICS has partnered with World Triathlon under the umbrella of the sport’s development programme.
Under the World Triathlon 2018-2021 strategic plan, a global partnership was established with ASICS to provide “essential support to the World Triathlon development programme both financially and in terms of sporting equipment”.
Among the programme’s key areas of focus are greater empowerment of national federations, helping them to achieve their goals with greater self-sufficiency, and assisting new and emerging federations to establish themselves on the world stage.
MyWhoosh
MyWhoosh is one of the more recent sponsors of the Series. The partnership between MyWhoosh and World Triathlon was agreed in September 2022. It is a free-to-use virtual cycling app that gives users challenges to overcome and brings together a community of like-minded cyclists and fitness enthusiasts.
Whereas ASICS has a material aspect to its sponsorship, MyWhoosh appears to solely engage in a financial partnership with World Triathlon.
Sponsors of Individual Races
Individual races often have their own sponsors. For example, this year WTCS Bermuda had HSBC, Bermuda Tourism Authority and PwC Bermuda as some of the partners of the event, among others. By way of background, HSBC is a global bank while PwC is one of the “Big Four” accounting firms.
More recently, the WTCS Final in Abu Dhabi had the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Daman and Mubadala as its partners.
To provide a little background on these partners, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council essentially is what the name suggests. Its function is to organise and host sporting events in Abu Dhabi.
Daman is an insurance provider and advertises itself as the leading health insurer in the UAE.
Mubadala Investment Company is a sovereign investor. The company manages a diverse portfolio of assets and investments in the United Arab Emirates and abroad to generate financial returns for its shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi.
By way of comparison, Mubadala is a similar type of company to the Abu Dhabi United Group which is the majority owner of Manchester City Football Club.
An earlier version of Mubadala was the International Petroleum Investment Company, which was a title sponsor of WTCS Abu Dhabi.
Mubadala currently has USD 284 billion value AUM (assets under management). Its portfolio includes a range of enterprises and includes investments is energy, such as the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company, Oil Search Limited, Cosmo Energy Holding, and Compañia Española de Petróleos (CESPA). CEPSA’s Exploration and Production business is responsible for the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas – both onshore and offshore.
All of the above entities sponsor the WTCS for a myriad of reasons. We cannot speak to their motives so won’t guess why the sponsor the sport however it is clear that both elite triathlon and the sponsors benefit from the arrangement.
When the WTCS returns in 2023, then, keep an eye out for the names that appear alongside the product. Sometimes the name may surprise you but then again, money makes the world go round.
