Salford, which has staged the World Cup event since the Commonwealth Games were held there in 2002, cannot fit the event into the schedule owing to clashes with other races and the availability of television coverage - the traditional date is too close to the Olympics - and so a race is planned for Hyde Park instead.

 

According to sources at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) the event will be staged on September 7 and 14, shortly after the Olympics in Beijing finish.

 

The event will be entirely within the Park, insidethegames understands, and will not use the proposed 2012 bike course because of the massive disruption to traffic that would cause.

 

The bike route to used in 2012 will not be tested until Hyde Park stages another event in 2011.

 

World Cup stages provide athletes' ranking and Olympic qualifying points.