Ten cities make up next year's World Triathlon Series calendar, taking in cities from Abu Dhabi and Gold Coast to London and Edmonton.

It serves as the premier triathlon Series, with a total prize pot of around $2 million (£1.2 million/€1.5 million) on offer.

One race is also selected to host the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships, with a number of stops on the 2016 calendar offering a final chance to collect enough points to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The Grand Final, which next year will be held in the United States city of Chicago, is the final race of the Series and is where world Championship titles for elite, junior and Para racers are awarded.

Bidding for the 2016 and 2017 Grand Finals was opened in May.

Chicago will host the Grand Final next year, with the 2018 event up for grabs for bidding cities ©Getty Images for Threadneedle



The International Triathlon Union (ITU) is also inviting bids for Para events next year ahead of the sport's debut at Rio 2016.

Races are held on every continent and "and may coincide with a World Triathlon Series event or exist as a stand-alone independent race".

Events staged after July 1 will also see qualifying points for Rio 2016 on offer.

"World Triathlon Series and ITU events are garnering more interest than ever before, as evidenced by a record number of races on the 2015 World Triathlon Series schedule," said ITU President Marisol Casado.

"As we head into the next two years ahead of the Olympics, we anticipate that exposure for athletes, cities and the sport of triathlon to grow even more."

Cities interested in hosting a World Triathlon Series or Para-triathlon event must submit bid documents along with their respective National Federations.

To see the bid documents, click here.