In Beijing four year's ago, three fewer NOCs qualified triathletes.

At Athens 2004 there were 33 triathletes competing and 34 at Sydney 2000.

Ecuador, Mauritius, Monaco, South Korea and Slovenia have all qualified athletes for the triathlon for the first time ever.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has begun notifying the NOCs regarding the number of triathletes they are able to send to London, following the conclusion of the qualification period last week.

This came to an end at the ITU World Series race in Madrid, two years after the qualification period started at the same location.

"To have a record number of National Olympic Committees from all five continents represented is indicative of the phenomenal growth and development of triathlon worldwide," said ITU President Marisol Casado.

"With several medal contenders from so many countries, along with the unpredictable nature of the sport, the triathlon competitions at Hyde Park will be one of the marquee events of the entire Olympic Games."

Eight NOCs qualified a maximum of three women for London 2012: the United States, Australia, Britain, Japan, France, Germany, New Zealand and Spain.


The eight sending three men are: Britain, Germany, Russia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Australia and Canada.

The women's triathlon will take place on Saturday August 4 and the men's contest three days later, at Hyde Park.

NOCs now have until June 22 to inform the ITU which athletes they are sending to London.

The decision on who to send has already sparked controversy, with Australian Emma Snowsill, the reigning Olympic champion, pledging to appeal the decision to omit her from Australia's trio of LOnodn bound athletes. 

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) instead opted to send Beijing 2008 bronze medallist Emma Moffatt (pictured top), Emma Jackson and Erin Densham.

Snowsill was also omitted from the team for Athens 2004.

The favourites for the triathlon at London 2012 will be dominated by Britons, with world champion Alistair Brownlee (pictured above, left) a good prospect for gold.


After dominating the first two rounds of this year's ITU World Series, his brother Jonathan is another contender for the crown.

For women competitors, world champion Helen Jenkins will be difficult to beat.

The Briton will face tough competition though from a host of contenders, not least the Australian contingent, as well as the likes of New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt and Switzerland's Nicola Spirig (pictured above), who won in Madrid last week and also claimed the European title in Eilat earlier this year.

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