World Triathlon Corporation
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| Type | Private equity portfolio company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 in Tarpon Springs, Florida |
| Founder(s) | Valerie Silk, James Gills |
| Headquarters | Tampa Bay, Florida, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii & Boulder, Colorado |
| Key people | Ben Fertic (CEO) |
| Industry | Event Management |
| Products | Ironman Triathlon, Ironman Live, Iron Girl & Ironkids |
| Parent | Providence Equity Partners |
| Website | www.ironman.com |
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This article contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (March 2009) |
The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a for-profit corporation which organizes, promotes and licenses the world-famous Ironman Triathlon series of triathlon races. WTC is also the owner of numerous "Ironman" and related trademarks used both in connection with the Ironman race series and in conjunction with various goods and services.
The Ironman race series culminates each year in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships, held each year in Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawai‘i.
WTC Ironman races are not sanctioned by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) and are therefore not official triathlon world championships in the view of ITU. However, WTC and the Ironman Triathlon have been in existence longer than the ITU, and the Hawaiian Ironman triathlon is considered by most[citation needed] to be the most prestigious event on the annual triathlon calendar.
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[edit] History
In 1990, Dr. James P. Gills purchased the World Triathlon Corporation.
Ben Fertic, formerly Vice President of Information Systems, became President of WTC in 2004. Fertic, an Ironman finisher, joined WTC in 2000 and has been heavily involved in the business operations and day-to-day decision making for WTC. During Fertic's tenure as VP, he was instrumental in creating Ironman Live, the online presence of the Ironman Triathlon, which helped bring the race's online presence and the races themselves to a new level, including online video streaming of the events.
World Triathlon Corporation recently sold to Providence Equity Securities for an undisclosed sum. Providence Equity is a private equity firm, of whom one board member is an IronMan athlete. CEO Ben Fertic will remain at the helm of the business.
[edit] Location
WTC is headquartered in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Upon the sale of the company to Providence Equity, WTC is reported to be relocating to Tampa Bay, Florida in 2009.
[edit] Ford Ironman World Championship
Held annually in the Hawaiian township of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event was first held in 1978 and is considered to be amongst the most regarded triathlon events on the planet.
[edit] Event Producers
In 2007, WTC undertook expansion in producing Ironman events internally, with the inaugural Ford Ironman Louisville. This followed the launch of Ironman 70.3 events in Boise, Idaho and Providence, Rhode Island.
[edit] Acquisition of North American Ironman Events
Early in 2009, WTC announced the acquisition of Ironman events based in the United States, from North American Sports, a company founded by Canadian Graham Fraser.
Employees from NA Sports are expected to remain and manage these events, with the existing office in Boulder, Colorado now under the ownership of WTC.
[edit] Event Licensing
WTC holds the rights to the name Ironman, from Marvel Comics, and in turn licences triathlon events to parties around the world. The first events to take on Ironman licencing include events in Canada, New Zealand and Australia, all of which formed in the 1980s.
Since then, Ironman event licencing has gone global, more so with the creation of the Ironman 70.3 series in 2005.
[edit] Product Licensing
The WTC licenses the Ironman and Ironman Triathlon logo and other related marks to various corporations for use in their product lines. An example is the licensing to Timex Corporation of the Ironman Triathlon logo for use in the Ironman Triathlon watch line that includes the Timex Ironman Datalink series of GPS type watches.
[edit] Ironman Live
Ironman Live, a creation of now-WTC President Ben Fertic, helped pioneer the way triathlon and sporting events are broadcast live on the internet. The Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii remains the pinnacle for this broadcast medium, with a fully fledged broadcast covering the day's events. Live text updates and athlete timing is also available at every event.
For North American events and seemingly selected worldwide events, a reduced style video coverage is made available, along with live text updates and athlete timing.
