HSBC Bermuda will focus on the island’s young athletes and promote youth engagement as a main sponsor of this fall’s World Triathlon Championship, the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) announced.
The newly announced HSBC partnership paves the way for the return of key youth training and development opportunities for aspiring triathletes in partnership with the Bermuda Triathlon Association. This includes the resumption of junior training clinics in August and September, providing young boys and girls of every ability level the opportunity to develop a love for the sport and hone their skills. The HSBC Community Day and bike drive set for August 29th will launch the Tri-Kids Training Clinic series. The two-hour weekly Sunday Training Clinics at the National Sports Center will be free to children aged 7 to 15 years and will run from September 5th with no registration required.
Tanya Bule, Head of Wealth and Personal Banking at HSBC Bermuda, said, “We are proud of the Bank’s contribution to further support the youth of Bermuda in the sport of triathlon. It is important to us that we give access to sport to all members of the community and to promote equality and inclusion for children who want to take part in these events. Here at HSBC we support the future generations of successful Bermudian athletes.”
The World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships is the third major international triathlon event in Bermuda since 2018 (the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic). Each year, the island’s youth involvement in the sport has grown. Between 2017 and 2020, the Bermuda Junior Triathlon Club grew its membership 81%, mainly in the 7 to 9-year-old age group.
“At the Bermuda Tourism Authority, we work hard to attract visitors and stimulate local spending with sports tourism activity, but we’re equally focused on ensuring our tourism efforts create legacy benefits that are in the best interest of the island’s young athletes,” said Hazel Clark, director of sports business development at the BTA. “We are thrilled to have the partnership of HSBC as main sponsor and look forward to working with them and other sponsors on our continued commitment to youth engagement and local involvement.”
BTA CEO, Charles Jeffers said, “Partnerships like these multiply any impact that we would have singularly. That’s why we are so grateful for HSBC’s collaboration. With Flora’s historic gold medal performance, the sport of triathlon will be linked to Bermuda for decades to come and we believe that the investment in our youth triathlon programmes will serve the island for development of our sporting legacy and will also support the advancement of the island’s Sports Tourism.”
Bermuda’s triathlon superstar Flora Duffy got her start locally, participating in Iron Kids Triathlons and eventually becoming the number one female triathlete in the world. She’s expected to race on home soil this fall, after competing in the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Tyler Smith, another Bermudian triathlete set to compete at home this year, has climbed into the top 200 of elite male triathletes globally and will play a leading role in the engagement of young people ahead of the big event this fall. Bermudian elite triathlete Erica Hawley will join Smith and Duffy to form the Bermuda Elite Mixed Relay team at the Championships.
Hamilton will host the World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships, October 15th to October 17th, 2021 with a series of individual and relay sprint-distance races for elite athletes, juniors and age groupers.
In addition to its focus on youth engagement, HSBC’s high-profile sponsorship includes a volunteer drive, and racecourse branding. This is the first year HSBC Bermuda has been a sponsor of the BTA’s sports tourism efforts in triathlon.
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