Toyota Extends Partnership with USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon and Toyota have extended their sponsorship agreement for the automotive company to serve as the national governing body’s exclusive mobility and automotive partner. Under terms of the deal, Toyota will support USA Triathlon’s top elite athletes in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021 and will continue its support for the Toyota U.S. Paratriathlon National Team.

For Toyota, it’s the latest renewal of a Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship portfolio that includes the company being a member of The Olympic Program (TOP) through 2024, as well as an official partner of the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and 16 other NGBs.

In its first two years as a founding partner of USA Triathlon, Toyota served as the title partner for the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships and combined with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and USA Triathlon offered the first professional prize purse for the event in 2019. Toyota is also the title partner of the U.S. Paratriathlon National Team, U.S. Paratriathlon Development Team and U.S. Paratriathlon Resident Team at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

“Over the last two years, Toyota has raised the bar for our paratriathlon program in unprecedented ways — helping increase visibility and awareness, but also professionalizing the sport for the United States’ top elite paratriathletes,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “We are proud to continue our partnership with Toyota through the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, while collaborating on innovative age-group and grassroots initiatives.”

The company also supported the Toyota U.S. Paratriathlon Resident Team in its “Operation CO>COVID” Ride Across Colorado, which raised money for the USA Triathlon Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund and the Care & Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado.

“Since 2019, we’ve worked closely with USA Triathlon in support of their athletes, members, and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement,” said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and Paralympic marketing for Toyota Motor North America. “We’re looking forward to continuing our support of the paratriathlon program as well as the U.S. Paratriathlon National Team. In addition, our extended partnership will allow us to collaborate more at the grassroots level and to support key triathlon and paratriathlon events across the U.S.”

Under terms of the deal, Toyota will continue to serve as the title partner for the Toyota USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships (sprint- and Olympic-distance). The NGB’s largest event, the competition is scheduled for August 2021 in Milwaukee. In 2021, Toyota will also become the title partner for the Toyota Legacy Triathlon in Long Beach, California, which includes the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships as well as an age-group triathlon and open water swim competition.