Ironman challenge returning to Liuzhou

The 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 China Tour will kick off in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on April 14.

It's the second year in a row the southern city will host the opening race of the elite triathlon series, which attracts thousands of professional and amateur athletes.

This year's Liuzhou leg will feature two major superstars in Britain's reigning two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee and Australian Ironman legend Craig Alexander.

"The success of last year's IRONMAN 70.3 Liuzhou was welcomed by our citizens," said vice mayor Jiao Yaoguang.

"A year later, together with Wanda Sports, we will make the second edition a better event trying to promote the development of triathlon in our city.

"We fully support the organization of the event while making the IRONMAN 70.3 Liuzhou an international brand.

"This is a great opportunity to involve more people in sport, facilitating the healthy and rapid growth of the local sports industry."

Since 2016, the third edition of IRONMAN 70.3 China Tour, which is co-organized by Liuzhou municipal government and Wanda Sports, has been trying to spread to more cities across the country.

"Last year, the IRONMAN 70.3 Liuzhou was a huge success that revealed the potential of Liuzhou's ability to host major sports events," said Liu Chun, deputy general manager of Wanda Sports.

"So this year we once again choose Liuzhou to be the host city of our opening round, trying to kick off the competition with a flying start in order to take the series to the next level."

The race will offer 25 qualifying spots for the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship and 50 spots for the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

"Through IRONMAN and other international sports tournaments like the Tour of Guangxi, which is part of the UCI World Tour, Liuzhou has gained valuable experience," said Li Jia, director of Liuzhou Sports Bureau.