Will the U.S-Iran War Ruin the End of the 2026 Triathlon Season?

There may only be another month officially left in summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but that does not mean that the triathlon season is anywhere close to finished globally. When racing calms down in North America and Europe, it will ramp up in the Middle East, with major events slated for November and December in the region.

The three biggest triathlon race organizations — IRONMAN, World Triathlon and T100 — all have events planned in Middle Eastern countries toward the end of 2026. At the moment, all of these races are still scheduled to go ahead as planned, but the ongoing conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran has been casting a shadow (and significant concerns) over these competitions for most of the year. Now just a few months away, those tensions in the Middle East continue to put these events at risk — although organizers are holding onto the hope they can be run without a hitch.

Triathlon in the Middle East

The first major event in the region took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, organized by IMG, which ran from 2010 to 2014, offering a huge $250,000 prize purse, an event that helped spur on the tremendous growth the sport has seen in the Middle East in the past decade. In May 2015, the triathlon world saw the launch of the Bahrain Victorious 13, an exclusive pro team that featured star athletes such as Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf. Later that year, in December, IRONMAN debuted in the region with the introduction of the 70.3 Middle East Championship in Bahrain. A month after that, the organization added 70.3 Dubai to the race calendar.

The World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS — although it was known as the ITU World Triathlon Series before 2020) also got its start in the region in 2015, adding Abu Dhabi as a host city. On top of being a regular stop on the WTCS calendar since then, Abu Dhabi was the site of the series Grand Final in 2022.

In 2024, the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) launched the T100, which is in part funded by Saudi investments, that culminated in Dubai that November. The series returned to more locations in the Middle East in 2025, hitting Dubai once more, then Saudi Arabia and finally Qatar for the season finale.

This year promised even more racing in the region. The T100 has plans to return for the same three events from 2025, IRONMAN is set to head to Oman for the brand’s first-ever full-distance race in the Middle East, while World Triathlon is stopping in the UAE for both the age group multisport world championships and WTCS Abu Dhabi (which has already been postponed once due to the war).

Triathlon has benefited from all of the investment in the sport in the Middle East, but each of these race organizations could be hit with significant blows if the conflict in the region forces them to cancel their upcoming events.

WTCS and the World Championships

WTCS Abu Dhabi was originally set to run in March as the 2026 series opener, but the war in Iran forced World Triathlon to postpone it. Looking for a new date to host the event, organizers eventually decided to line it up alongside the World Triathlon Multisport Championships in November.

Slowtwitch reached out to World Triathlon for comment on the events and the ongoing conflict.

“The situation is changing every day and quite fluid,” a spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring the situation in the region and all the travel advices […] For the moment, we are all moving on with all the events as planned.”

World Triathlon may be set on racing in November, but not everyone is ready to commit to sending their athletes to the UAE. A representative from Germany’s Deutsche Triathlon Union said their team has not “made a final decision yet” on the matter and hopes to have a more “definite” stance in the coming weeks.

USA Triathlon has not gone so far as to back out of racing in the UAE, but the organization has taken steps in that direction and offered an alternative for anyone who wants it.

“USA Triathlon is […] is closely monitoring publicly available information from World Triathlon and local event organizers,” the team said in a statement. “To provide flexibility for qualified athletes, USA Triathlon is offering the option to defer participation in the 2026 Abu Dhabi event to the 2027 World Triathlon Multisport Championships in Edmonton.”

Triathlon Canada is a national federation that is leaning toward skipping the event. Canadian athletes who had qualified and registered for the Multisport Championships recently received an email alerting them that the federation does not plan to send a team at this time.

“In alignment with the travel advisories provided by the Government of Canada, Triathlon Canada has determined that sending athletes or staff to races in the Middle East is not possible at this time,” the email reads. “Triathlon Canada is obligated to prioritize athlete safety and wellness above all other considerations […] We will continue to monitor these advisories and will hope for improved conditions in the near future.”

In a statement sent to Slowtwitch, Triathlon Canada’s interim CEO Rachel Macatee echoed the words from the email to athletes, saying the federation is “committed to making responsible decisions as early as possible” while recognizing “that the global situation can change quickly.”

Both the email and statement leave room for Triathlon Canada to change course, but only if the situation in the Middle East improves.

Closing Out the T100 Season

The T100 season has four events left, three of which are set in Middle Eastern countries. All three of these races will host both pros and age groupers. Unlike World Triathlon, the PTO hasn’t had to move or postpone any dates so far, and as things stand now, they reportedly don’t see that happening.

“We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Middle East and will remain in regular contact with relevant authorities, partners and athletes as we continue to assess developments,” reads a PTO statement. “The safety and security of all our athletes, staff and suppliers is our highest priority.  At this time, our Dubai/Saudi/Qatar races will go ahead as planned.”

Eyeing IRONMAN Oman

The 2026 race season marked the first with Experience Oman (the country’s official tourism board) as the title sponsor of the IRONMAN Pro Series. The relationship got off to a fantastic start in early February (three weeks before the war began) with a successful running of the 70.3 Middle East Championship in the Omani capital of Muscat.

The next step in the partnership was IRONMAN Oman. Although the situation in the region continues to leave many people uncertain, IRONMAN officials say the race is still a go.

“All events are currently proceeding as planned,” IRONMAN said in a statement to Slowtwitch. “We continue to monitor official travel advisories closely and remain in regular contact with relevant authorities. Athletes requiring support should contact the Athlete Services team for their registered event.”

Travel Advisories

None of the countries hosting races are directly involved in the conflict, but they have each been drawn into it purely due to geography. All four of the countries — Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — have been hit by Iranian drone and missile strikes this year. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have engaged in attacks, with the latter sending retaliatory airstrikes against Iran in March and with the former launching airstrikes alongside the U.S. in Iraq in July.

To date, Oman and Qatar have yet to actively participate in the conflict or commit any attacks. Despite being an innocent bystander, Oman continues to be the subject of threats. U.S. President Donald Trump has said on multiple occasions that he will not hesitate to take action against the country if it “gets in the way” of American moves in the Strait of Hormuz.

Due to so much uncertainty, many countries are warning their citizens to avoid travel to the Middle East. The Canadian government has said there is “an ongoing threat of terrorism” in each of these countries. The Canadian advisory for Qatar even says terrorists attacks are “likely” there.

The U.S. travel advisories are very similar, with all of Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman listed as Level 3 — “Reconsider travel” — out of four (parts of Oman are up to Level 4 due to “terrorism and armed conflict”).

UK advisories state that there is a “risk of more attacks and unforeseen escalation in the region,” saying “terrorist attacks […] cannot be ruled out” in these countries. The French government has urged its people to avoid non-essential travel to the region. Germany has lifted a blanket “do not travel” advisory for all Middle Eastern countries, but still notes that citizens should exercise a high degree of caution when in the region.

What’s Happening?

At the moment, nothing has changed — at least in terms of the triathlon schedule. Races that have been scheduled to run in the Middle East will go ahead as planned. Every organization involved has acknowledged that this could change overnight, but they are holding onto the hope and possibility that things could flip for the better at a moment’s notice, too.

The big factor for every one of these races is athlete participation. With tens of thousands of dollars on the line for the pros at these events, many top athletes will certainly be in attendance at these races if they are not postponed or cancelled. The age group races, however, could be a different story. There is no predicting what the turnout at these events will be until they finally arrive, but it will be interesting to see what happens (or doesn’t happen) with all of them in the coming months.

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