Triathlon: World Championship titles to be awarded at Hamburg event

(Reuters) - The 2020 World Triathlon Championships titles will be awarded at next month's World Triathlon Series (WTS) event in Hamburg following the cancellation of the remaining two rounds of the season, the governing executive board said on Tuesday.

The Montreal and Bermuda events, scheduled for October and November respectively, were called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the Sept. 5 Hamburg round as the only other alternative on the calendar.

"We know that announcing that the World Championships titles will now, following the cancellation of the two events, be contested at the only event left on the calendar and that there is little advanced notice of this announcement, is far from ideal," said World Triathlon president Marisol Casado.

"We want to assure you that it is not just the best option but the only option we have to give our athletes the chance to compete and showcase their best at this level."

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)