At which Olympic Games was the triathlon first introduced as a competitive event?

Triathlon made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games. In 1989, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) was founded in Avignon, France, and the first official World Championships were held. The official distance for triathlon was set at a 1,500m swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run, taken from existing events in each discipline already on the Olympic programme. Simon Whitfield of Canada won the gold medal in the inaugural competition in Sydney.

Triathlon has its roots in France in the 1920s. Competitors participated in a race called “Les trois sports” which translated is “Three Sports”. It consisted of crossing the river Marne, a 12K bike ride and a 3K run. Triathlons in the US can be traced to California in the 1970s. The first Mission Bay Triathlon was held in 1974 in San Diego. This is the date that most hold to be the official beginning of the modern triathlon.

It is a multisport race with three continuous and sequential endurance races. The word is of Greek origin, treis (three) and athlos (competition). While variations of the sport exist, the most common form includes swimming, cycling, and running over various distances.

Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion, including timed transitions between the three races. A transition area is set up where the athletes change gear for different segments of the race. This is where the switches from swimming to cycling and cycling to running occur.