The ITU sprint triathlon World Championships and the ITU team triathlon World Championships will be integrated into the World Championship Series in Lausanne on August 20-21.

The sprint World Championships will be made up of half the Olympic distance with a 750 metres swim, 20 kilometres bike ride and 5km run and will feature a $100,000 prize purse.

The team triathlon World Championships will have $50,000 up for grabs and will feature countries battling to be the top triathlon nation as teams consist of two men and two women, each completing a super sprint triathlon of 275m swim, 6km bike and 1.5km run.

Athletes will have the opportunity to earn points in the sprint World Championships towards their overall Dextro Energy Triathlon Series rankings, which determine the ITU world champions.

But neither event will have Olympic qualifying points on offer.

"We are extremely pleased to raise our team and sprint Championships into the premier triathlon series in the world," said Marisol Casado, the ITU President, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

"This is another important step forward in our dream to have team triathlon included on the Olympic Games programme."

Team triathlon made its debut in a major event at last year's inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore when the event was won by a mixed squad from Europe.

Jacques Rogge, the IOC President, called the idea an "interesting innovation".

"Both the sprint and team relay are exciting formats of triathlon and are sure to attract fresh interest in the sport," said Casado.

Last year Switzerland thrilled the home crowds by winning its second straight team triathlon World Championship while Sweden's Lisa Norden and Jonathan Brownlee of Great Britain were crowned the inaugural ITU sprint triathlon world champions.

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