At a press conference on Wednesday it was announced that Da Nang would host the 2019 Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship on 12 May.

Following the success of triathlons over the past 4 years, Da Nang has been chosen to host the 2019 Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship

This year’s event is expected to attract a total of over 2,000 athletes from around 50 countries and territories worldwide.

Especially, Vietnamese participants will be nearly 1,000, 20 times higher than they were in 2015, and accounting for 50% of the registered athletes.

Amongst the participants will be defending Ironman World Champions Craig Alexander and Patrick Lange, along with Ms Holly Lawrence, the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, and Ms Radka Kahlefeldt, the defending VNG Ironman 70.3 Vietnam Champion.

According to the event’s organisers, there will be 30 slots for the most outstanding contestants in different age groups from the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship to compete in the world championship race which will take place in Nice, France, on 7 and 8 September.

Most interestingly, between 9 and 12 May, numerous fascinating cultural activities will be held on the sidelines of the event in order to encourage visitors to extend their stay in the city.

As part of the commitment by the VNG IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam partners to make a difference to the lives of the communities that host IRONMAN events, a charitable run, called Newborns Vietnam Run Out, will take place in the city.

The 5 km race aims to raise funds for Newborns Vietnam, a British charity based in the city which helps to improve the survival rate and care of newborn infants in the city and neighbouring provinces.

In addition, another triathlon competition entitled ‘Sunrise Sprint Viet Nam’ (or S2) will be held in the city. S2 is a short distance triathlon series featuring a 750m swim, a 20km cycling race, and a 5km run. This contest is open to professional and amateur contestants from both home and abroad.

Also, an Ironkids Viet Nam will be organised for domestic and foreign children aged between 6 and 14. Contestants aged from 6 - 10 will participate in a 70m swim and a 1km run, whilst those from 11 - 14 will complete a 140m swim and a 2km run.

This is the first time Viet Nam has hosted the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship. 

Last year, the Philippines was the first country in Asia to be selected to host this international event.

Over the past 5 years, the annual Ironman 70.3 Viet Nam has helped to advertise the image of Viet Nam on the world triathlon map, as well as make Da Nang a favourite rendezvous for athletes from countries and territories worldwide.

Last, but not least, the international sports event has helped to raise the city’s position in the world. In particular, Da Nang has been ranked 15^th in the world’s famous 52 Places list for 2019 by The New York Times.