ASICS join as Major Partner of Tauranga’s World Triathlon Triple Crown as 2026 World Cup date locked in

Kent Gray • July 8, 2026

Three year deal a boon for age groupers as well as elite triathletes

• ASICS New Zealand confirmed as Exclusive Footwear & Apparel Partner through 2028
• 2026 World Cup Tauranga to incorporate mass participation favourite
Tinman Triathlon
• Elite athletes, age groupers, staff, volunteers & officials to benefit from ASICS agreement


Three years. Three world-class events. One global stage for Tauranga

Triathlon New Zealand is proud to announce ASICS New Zealand as the Exclusive Footwear & Apparel Partner of Tauranga’s three-year run of World Triathlon events, a landmark window that will see the city welcome the world’s best triathletes through to 2028.

The partnership covers:

2026 World Triathlon Cup Tauranga

2027 World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) Tauranga

2028 World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final Tauranga

Together, the events form a World Triathlon Triple Crown for Tauranga, cementing the city’s place on the global triathlon calendar.

A key milestone of the announcement is confirmation that 2026 World Triathlon Cup Taurangawill be held on Sunday, 22 November 2026, with a race-day format designed to deliver a major boost for age group athletes.

The day will incorporate Tri Tauranga’s iconic mass participation
Tinman Triathlon, which will again double as the Tri NZ Suzuki Series Standard Distance Championships. That will allow age group competitors to race for PBs, national titles and world champs selection before watching some of the world’s best triathletes compete, likely including New Zealand talisman Hayden Wilde.

Triathlon New Zealand CEO Pete De Wet said locking in both ASICS partnership and a 2026 date was a significant moment for the sport.

“We’re on the cusp of a game changing three years for the sport of triathlon in New Zealand and having a prestigious global brand like ASICS at our side all the way to 2028 only underscores that,” De Wet said.

“To also have a date locked in that will activate our age group community, the beating heart of our sport, is a vital part of our over-arching strategy to ensure a legacy for the sport long beyond the 2028 Grand Final. Tinman is one of New Zealand’s most popular mass participation events and will only add to the 2026 World Triathlon Cup Tauranga experience. We can’t wait.”

ASICS become the first major commercial partner confirmed across the three-event Tauranga hosting agreement, joining the New Zealand Government, through the Major Events Fund, and Tauranga City Council as key event delivery partners.


• ASICS New Zealand confirmed as Exclusive Footwear & Apparel Partner through 2028
• 2026 World Cup Tauranga to incorporate mass participation favourite
Tinman Triathlon
• Elite athletes, age groupers, staff, volunteers & officials to benefit from ASICS agreement

Three years. Three world-class events. One global stage for Tauranga

Triathlon New Zealand is proud to announce ASICS New Zealand as the Exclusive Footwear & Apparel Partner of Tauranga’s three-year run of World Triathlon events, a landmark window that will see the city welcome the world’s best triathletes through to 2028.

The partnership covers:

2026 World Triathlon Cup Tauranga

2027 World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) Tauranga

2028 World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final Tauranga

Together, the events form a World Triathlon Triple Crown for Tauranga, cementing the city’s place on the global triathlon calendar.

A key milestone of the announcement is confirmation that 2026 World Triathlon Cup Taurangawill be held on Sunday, 22 November 2026, with a race-day format designed to deliver a major boost for age group athletes.

The day will incorporate Tri Tauranga’s iconic mass participation
Tinman Triathlon, which will again double as the Tri NZ Suzuki Series Standard Distance Championships. That will allow age group competitors to race for PBs, national titles and world champs selection before watching some of the world’s best triathletes compete, likely including New Zealand talisman Hayden Wilde.

Triathlon New Zealand CEO Pete De Wet said locking in both ASICS partnership and a 2026 date was a significant moment for the sport.

“We’re on the cusp of a game changing three years for the sport of triathlon in New Zealand and having a prestigious global brand like ASICS at our side all the way to 2028 only underscores that,” De Wet said.

“To also have a date locked in that will activate our age group community, the beating heart of our sport, is a vital part of our over-arching strategy to ensure a legacy for the sport long beyond the 2028 Grand Final. Tinman is one of New Zealand’s most popular mass participation events and will only add to the 2026 World Triathlon Cup Tauranga experience. We can’t wait.”

ASICS become the first major commercial partner confirmed across the three-event Tauranga hosting agreement, joining the New Zealand Government, through the Major Events Fund, and Tauranga City Council as key event delivery partners.


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• Suzuki NZ named Official Supporter and Exclusive Motor Vehicle Partner • Additionally joins Port of Tauranga as Official Volunteer Programme Partner • Partnership spans 2026 World Triathlon Cup, 2027 WTCS Tauranga and the 2028 WTCS Grand Final • Suzuki NZ to provide vehicles central to the operational delivery of the Triple Crown Suzuki New Zealand brings its long-standing commitment to New Zealand triathlon to the world stage Auckland, (April 2, 2026) – Suzuki New Zealand has been unveiled as an Official Supporter of Tauranga’s triple crown of World Triathlon events through 2028, locking in one of the sport’s most enduring commercial relationships for what shapes as the most significant three-year period in New Zealand triathlon history. The agreement grants Suzuki NZ exclusivity across the motor vehicle category and positions the brand at the operational heart of the series through a key partnership role in the triple crown’s Volunteer Programme, a critical function that keeps world-class racing moving. Suzuki joins the Port of Tauranga, announced earlier, as a cornerstone partner of the programme. The events Suzuki will support across the three-year term are: 2026 World Triathlon Cup Tauranga 2027 World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) Tauranga 2028 World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final Tauranga For Triathlon New Zealand CEO Pete de Wet, securing Suzuki wasn’t a commercial transaction, rather a natural progression of a partnership that has been built over years on mutual respect for the sport. The renowned Japanese manufacturer are long-time title sponsors of Tri NZ’s annual series of grassroots, mass-participation national championships, the Tri NZ Suzuki Series. “It’s awesome to have such an important anchor sponsor of triathlon get in behind Tauranga’s triple crown of events in 2026, 2027 and 2028,” de Wet said. “Suzuki has shown great commitment to our sport for such a long time, so it just feels right to have them as the official vehicle partner for the series. They’ll also be a key player in the Volunteer Programme, providing vehicles to assist us in ensuring the event can be delivered successfully.” The volunteer workforce underpinning three consecutive global events is one of the most logistically complex undertakings in New Zealand sport. Suzuki’s support across that programme isn’t peripheral, it’s foundational, and through the provision of vehicles, will enable the kind of seamless athlete and official movement that World Triathlon demands. For Suzuki New Zealand CEO and Executive General Manager Automobile Gary Collins, the partnership reflects something deeper than brand exposure. It reflects who Suzuki is. “Suzuki New Zealand is delighted to partner with Tri NZ for the upcoming World Cup and World Triathlon Championship Series events in Tauranga,” Collins said. “Suzuki has been a long-term local supporter of triathlon in New Zealand so the involvement with the world’s premiere showcase of the sport is a perfect fit for our brand. We’re the masters of making a little go a long way with our range of affordable, efficient vehicles. But most of all we’re about having fun and enjoying life. So it is a pleasure to be able to assist Kiwis to compete on the world stage in our backyard.” With a World Triathlon Cup, a WTCS round and a WTCS Grand Final set to call Tauranga home across three successive years, the region is entering an unprecedented chapter as a global destination for the sport. Suzuki New Zealand, practical, efficient, community-rooted, and built for the long haul, is the right partner to drive it forward.  About Suzuki New Zealand Suzuki is one of the world’s most successful brands, enjoying a reputation as an innovative leader in compact car, motorcycle, marine and 4WD technology. The Suzuki brand symbolises outstanding quality and value and the team at Suzuki New Zealand and its nationwide dealer network are dedicated to providing New Zealanders with a fun and rewarding ownership experience.