Tata Steel has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting and promoting the sport of triathlon by confirming its status as the Presenting Partner of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London, for the second year running.  In addition, the Tata Kids of Steel Children’s Triathlon Series (formerly the Corus Kids of Steel) will increase in size to 18 events across the UK.

As the Corporate Partner of British Triathlon, Tata Steel has been instrumental in the growth and development of triathlon in the UK for the past five years.  Tata Steel is proud to be enabling the sport of triathlon, helping British Triathlon to achieve its mission of promoting excellence in the sport and helping everyone to achieve their own personal triathlon challenge. 

Tata Steel is honoured to have played a part in the huge success that the sport in the UK has achieved on the international stage over the past five years.  The Tata Steel partnership will support British Triathlon through the next Olympic cycle and provide underpinning investment in the whole athlete development and support programme in the build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. 

Shaun Doherty, Executive Officer to the CEO stated, “Triathlon is a sport that allows access to everybody, which is a clear statement of unity, and stands for the pursuit of excellence – unity and excellence both being part of Tata's core values. The World Championship weekend in London will give up to 110 Tata Steel and Tata employees the chance to compete in a triathlon on what will be the Olympic venue next year.  We will also showcase innovative construction design and engineering with a unique temporary infrastructure hosting a VIP area and seating at the finish line. Something we can be enormously proud of.”

The event, backed by UK Sport’s World Class Events programme, has extra cachet this year as it will be one of only two selection events for the British squad for the London Olympic Games – the other being the Grand Final of the Series in Beijing.  Many other nations will also be using this event as an Olympic selection event, ensuring a world-class starting line of elite triathletes.

Last year, Tata Steel constructed a unique temporary infrastructure using innovative post-tensioned steel technology to house the VIP area and enhance the spectator experience.  Tata Steel will be developing the design this year, challenging both architects and engineers to temporarily transform this public space at a world-class venue for an elite sport.

The event will not just be about the elite competitors.  Tata Steel will also be hosting a staff wave in the Age Group Sprint races on the prestigious Buckingham Palace course on Sunday 7th August. The Tata Steel Triathlon Challenge will enable 110 Tata Group employees to take part in a triathlon and experience the thrill and excitement of competing on the proposed Olympic triathlon course.  Employees are also invited to use the event to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, or other charities of their choice. 
 
As Sarah Jolley, Communications Manager of Tata Steel added:  “It is such a fantastic opportunity to get our staff involved.  Last year we had a team in the age-group events and we will have a wave of people involved again”. 

Experience the 2010 event by viewing the video at http://bcove.me/4wwogebk

Additionally, in 2011, the Corus Kids of Steel Children's Triathlon Series will be rebranded to the Tata Kids of Steel.  There were 15 events in 2010 and nearly 10,000 children had the opportunity to have a go at triathlon in a fun, safe environment. 

Since the series launched in 2007, nearly 25,000 children from over 300 schools have had the opportunity to experience triathlon. 

In 2011, there will be 18 events across the UK so the series will be even more popular.  As always, these events rely on volunteers to make the events happen with many Tata Steel staff volunteering.  In 2012, there will be 24 events across the UK and our target is to have enabled over 50,000 to children to experience triathlon since the series launched in 2007.

The Tata Kids of Steel events aim to give every child a positive and fun experience of triathlon, regardless of ability.  Every child receives a t-shirt, swim cap, goody bag and medal for participating.  Bikes and helmets are provided, and children only need to provide swimming and running kit.

The schedule for this year is shown below:

1) East London,  Newham – Weds 4th May
2) West London, Ealing – Thurs 5th
3) Cambridge – Fri 6th May
4) Scotland 1 – Tues 17th May
5) Scotland 2 – Weds 18th May
6) Teesside – Thurs 19th May
7) Birmingham – Tues 24th May
8) Leeds – Weds 25th May
9) Rotherham – Thurs 26th May
10) North Wales, Mold – Weds 22nd June
11) Manchester – Thurs 23rd June
12) Scunthorpe – Fri 24th June
13) Kent, Maidstone – Tues 28th June
14) North London – Weds 29th June
15) Corby – Thurs 30th June
16) Swansea – Tues 5th July
17) Bristol – Weds 6th July
18) East Sussex, Lewes – Thurs 7th July
 
The Tata Steel National ParaTriathlon Championships will also be taking place on Saturday 14th May at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham as part of the Nottingham Triathlon.

Tata Steel is especially proud of the developments in ParaTriathlon having supported the British Triathlon ParaTriathlon Development Project over the past five years. The Tata Steel National ParaTriathlon Championships is now in its fourth year, and will form part of the new National ParaTriathlon ranking series.  Tata Steel was thrilled when ParaTriathlon became recognised as a Paralympic Sport and will be included in the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

About Tata Steel in Europe

The European operations of Tata Steel (formerly known as Corus) comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With main steelmaking operations in the UK and the Netherlands, they supply steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, material handling and other demanding markets worldwide.

Tata Steel is one of the world’s top ten steel producers. The combined group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents. 
www.tatasteel.com

About British Triathlon

British Triathlon is the current Sport Governing Body of the Year and the National Governing Body for Triathlon, Duathlon and Aquathlon in Great Britain, responsible for raising profile and delivering elite performance of the sport. 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. 

Great Britain boasts nine current world champions amongst a strong squad of world ranked elite triathletes, alongside emerging talent from our youth development programmes. There are over 700 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year including the British Triathlon Super Series, which attracts athletes from all over the world.

British Triathlon aims to promote excellence in our sport, and create opportunities for everyone to achieve their personal triathlon challenges. Tata Steel is the Corporate Partner of British Triathlon and is proud to be enabling the sport of triathlon. www.britishtriathlon.org

For further information, please contact:

Bob Jones Group Head of Media Relations 
bob.jones@corusgroup.com  07764 710 340

Sarah  Jolley Communications Manager  
sarah.jolley@corusgroup.com  07815 892 080

Peter Baldwin Marketing Manager Construction Solutions
peter.baldwin@corusgroup.com  07770 702 492