South Africa to Host Half Ironman World Championship, a First for Africa

Ironman has announced Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, as host for the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. This will be the first time an Ironman World Championship event will be held on the African continent! #GoSouthAfrica!

The event – also known as the Half Ironman – will take place on Saturday, September 1st and Sunday, September 2nd, 2018, at the Eastern Cape venue… which has been the site of the Ironman African Championship since 2015.

According to the Ironman website, the world championship is the pinnacle event in the global Ironman 70.3 calendar. It usually attracts over 6,000 athletes from over 100 global qualifying events in locations such as Australia, China, Spain, South Africa and the Americas.

Port Elizabeth – also known as the Friendly City – was previously host to eight games of the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

The World Championship consists of a week-long festival which will include a range of fun events for locals and visitors.

“We are excited to welcome triathletes from throughout our region and around the world and show them true South African hospitality. For more than a decade Ironman has had the privilege of working with Nelson Mandela Bay and the city of Port Elizabeth to put up world-class events,” said Hans Peter Zurbruegg, Managing Director of IRONMAN Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Next year’s Ironman will be in Tennessee, USA.