MADRID (AP) — Triathlon is taking action to try to boost its popularity, with hopes of bringing it closer to the level of tennis and golf.
A new global circuit will debut in 2027 following an alliance between the international federation and private organizers in an attempt to unify the sport that has been historically fragmented and difficult to follow because of the large number of events worldwide.
Officials are hoping the new tour will promote mass-participation events, attract new audiences and enhance the broadcast and digital storytelling of triathlon. There will be greater investment aimed at making the sport a better product for television and easier to showcase on social media in order to land bigger sponsors.
The formal announcement of the new tour is expected by the end of the month.
“Our goal is for the sport to be attractive not only for triathlon fans but to be attractive for sport fans. We need to grow the sport to be more attractive to the general public,” Antonio Arimany, president of World Triathlon, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“This is not an achievement for next year, this is a goal that we have for the next six, seven years,” he added. “And we really would like to have triathlon at the level of tennis or golf. Of course, we cannot reach football or other sports because we are not a team sport, but compared to individual sports we need to find a way how we can grow in popularity.”
Triathlon has traditionally been divided, with the international federation not in charge of the actual organization of events. The competitions have been mostly run by private entities such as Ironman, the biggest in the sport. World Triathlon oversees Olympic Games, world championships and the world series.
A report prepared by Deloitte highlighted the fragmentation within triathlon and the need to create a stronger and more unified competition structure.
The presence of multiple companies showed there was interest in investing in the sport, the report said, and channelling those funds to a centralized product was considered crucial. Thus the need to try to merge and create a product that is easier to commercialize and grow.
“Announcing this new blueprint for the sport is an incredibly exciting next phase of our partnership with World Triathlon and to grow the sport,” said Sam Renouf, CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organization, which is co-owned and run by professional athletes. PTO manages global rankings and some of the most high-profile triathlon circuits.
“The Deloitte report’s recommendation to move to a more commercially driven model was clear and aligns with the ambition to take the sport mainstream and adopt a model that many other sports have successfully followed to unlock greater value for the athletes and the whole ecosystem,” Renouf said.
World Triathlon is aiming for more live broadcasts to try to strengthen international visibility. While World Triathlon has some expertise on TV broadcasting, private organizers will contribute with their knowhow on commercializing the sport.
“They can create a better branding, they can get bigger sponsors, they can sell better the TV rights, they can create a new model of events that we are going to popularize, similar to what the mayors in marathon are doing, trying to create big events,” said Arimany, who is also vice president of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Prize money is expected to increase and triathletes will see more standardized branding around events, but there won't be major changes in the competitions themselves.
“This partnership is an important step towards the long-term sustainability of our sport and, crucially, towards expanding opportunities for athletes," said Non Stanford, chair of World Triathlon’s athletes committee. "We look forward to the evolution of the Triathlon World Tour beyond 2027, and working closely with the PTO to develop a progressive, athlete-focused brand that respects the sport’s rich heritage.”
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
France's Leonie Periault celebrates winning the woman's ITU World Triathlon Series/World Championship race in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Philipp Szyza/dpa via AP)
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands & PAMPLONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 16, 2026--
Fourthline, Europe's identity verification and compliance leader, has signed an agreement to merge with Veridas, a recognised international digital identity provider, to deliver the most complete and advanced trust platform across Europe and the Americas.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260629494028/en/
Paul Stoddart, CEO of Fourthline
The combination unites Fourthline's institutional-grade KYC/AML compliance orchestration across Northern and Central Europe with Veridas's proprietary identity and anti-fraud stack and market position in Southern Europe, the US, and Latin America. Operating under a single, integrated AI architecture, the combined entity will secure the entire customer lifecycle for global Tier-1 banks, fintechs, telecommunications providers, and digital disruptors across both continents. Fourthline and Veridas come together from a position of strength, both profitable, EBITDA-positive, and at the strongest point in their respective histories. Together they are projected to complete 115 million verifications this year, active in 50+ countries worldwide.
Growth and Compliance Without Borders
By combining Fourthline's proven sovereign AI technology stack and modular compliance platform with Veridas's local market expertise, proprietary anti-fraud and biometric portfolio, and established relationships across Europe, Latin America, and the US’ financial ecosystem, the two companies will offer regulated institutions a single, trusted partner for end-to-end KYC, AML, and identity compliance and the infrastructure to grow with confidence.
Together, Fourthline and Veridas will provide financial institutions and regulated customers across Europe, the US, and Latin America with:
Paul Stoddart, CEO of Fourthline:"Fourthline was built to solve one of financial services' most persistent challenges — how to make identity verification and compliance fast, reliable, and scalable without compromise. We have done that for some of Europe's largest and most demanding regulated institutions. The opportunity to extend that mission within Europe and further into Latin America, one of the world's most dynamic and rapidly digitising financial markets, is one we've been building towards. Veridas has done something exceptional in building infrastructure that genuinely works for the complexity and richness of its customers. Together, we are raising the bar for what compliant, scalable identity verification looks like globally."
Eduardo Azanza, CEO and Co-founder of Veridas:"Veridas was born with the mission to provide the internet with the trust layer it was missing: a way for individuals and organisations to operate safely with real identities. In a world of AI-driven fraud, where distinguishing a real identity from a fake one is becoming increasingly difficult, and where regulatory complexity and market opportunity are both accelerating, our mission is more necessary than ever. By combining our decade of experience serving Tier-1 companies globally with proprietary identity and biometric technologies, advanced anti-fraud capabilities, and reusable identity solutions, together with Fourthline’s expansive compliance orchestration and proven experience with neobanks, fintechs and regulated financial institutions across Europe, we can now make this vision real."
The merger will accelerate a shared strategic roadmap to build next-generation identity and trust infrastructure for highly regulated industries. The combined company will focus on helping customers reduce financial crime, simplify compliance, improve conversion, authenticate users continuously, and prepare for the transition to reusable digital identity across all markets.
Following completion of the merger, Veridas shareholders (including BBVA) will continue to be shareholders in the combination, and the transaction will be partly funded by existing Fourthline investor Finch Capital and new investors including Rabo Investments, and is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending customary closing conditions including applicable regulatory approvals.
The integration of Fourthline’s and Veridas’s technologies will be executed in a phased manner, with an unwavering commitment to service performance and quality with local customer support across all markets. Both companies will continue to serve existing clients with a stronger, more capable platform with full continuity of service.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals, and is expected to be finalised in the second half of 2026.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "will," "expected," "positioned," and similar expressions. By their nature, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the timing and outcome of regulatory approvals, integration progress, competitive dynamics, and other factors. Actual results may differ materially. Fourthline and Veridas do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.
About Fourthline:
Fourthline is Europe's leading identity verification provider powering compliance solutions through proprietary AI technology. Founded in Amsterdam in 2017, Fourthline’s strength is reflected in its client roster including Revolut, N26, Trade Republic, Qonto, Scalable Capital, Scalapay, Raisin, Rabobank and Bitpanda. Through a single API integration, Fourthline enables financial institutions to maintain consistent compliance standards while supporting ambitious global expansion. www.fourthline.com
About Veridas:
Veridas is a technology company founded in 2017 as a joint venture with BBVA. Since then, it has become a leading global player in the identity industry, serving over 350 clients across 25 countries in sectors including banking, insurance, telecommunications, and public administration across Europe, Latin America and the United States. Veridas’ mission is to provide Trusted Digital Identities to any business, through its proprietary, cutting-edge identity verification, biometric, and anti-fraud solutions.
Eduardo Azanza, CEO and Co-founder of Veridas
Paul Stoddart, CEO of Fourthline
