A focus on the island’s young athletes and promoting youth engagement will be at the core of HSBC Bermuda’s sponsorship of the World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships.

The newly announced HSBC partnership as the main sponsor of the event being held on island from October 15 to 17 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 29 will launch the Tri-Kids Training Clinic series. The two-hour weekly Sunday training clinics at the National Sports Centre will be free to children aged 7 to 15 and will run from September 5 with no registration required.

“We are proud of the Bank’s contribution to further support the youth of Bermuda in the sport of triathlon,” said Tanya Bule, Head of Wealth and Personal Banking at HSBC Bermuda. “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. Each year, the island’s youth involvement in the sport has grown. Between 2017 and 2020, the Bermuda Junior Triathlon Club grew its membership by 81 per cent, mainly in the 7-9 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, the 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.”

Charles Jeffers, the BTA chief executive, added: “Partnerships like these multiply any impact that we would have singularly. That’s why we are so grateful for HSBC’s collaboration.

“With Flora Duffy’s historic gold-medal performance [at the Olympic Games], 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.”

Duffy got her start locally, participating in Iron Kids Triathlons to eventually become the top female triathlete in the world. She is expected to race on home soil in October.

Tyler Smith, another Bermudian triathlete set to compete in October, 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 World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships.

Both he and Duffy will be joined by fellow professional triathlete Erica Hawley to form the Bermuda Elite Mixed Relay team at the championships. The event will consist of a series of individual and relay sprint-distance races for elite athletes, juniors and age groups.