WTCS Abu Dhabi finally races in November, the same weekend Julie Derron defends her T100 lead in Dubai

The World Triathlon Championship Series race in Abu Dhabi, postponed in March because of the war in the Middle East, will be held on Hudayriyat Island on 13 and 14 November. The following day, 14 November, the T100 women race in Dubai in the last points-scoring round before the series final in Qatar.

It means two of the sport’s top circuits will race in the United Arab Emirates on the same weekend, before the two circuits are brought together in a single Triathlon World Tour in 2027.

A season opener in November

WTCS Abu Dhabi was due to open the 2026 series on 28 March. In early March, after the United States and Israel began bombing Iran and Iran fired missiles at countries across the region, including the UAE, the elite races were called off. The UAE had closed its airports, Slowtwitch reported at the time.

“The Elite individual races, the Para triathlon Cup and the Elite Mixed Relay event have been postponed to a later date, which will be announced in due course,” World Triathlon said then. The age-group races were kept on the March programme.

In July, World Triathlon announced the new date. The individual sprint races are on Friday 13 November and a Mixed Relay Series race on Saturday 14 November, at the same venue as the World Triathlon Multisport Championships, which run until 22 November. The federation said the race would carry Olympic qualification points, World Triathlon ranking points and the regular WTCS prize money.

“Hosting the WTCS and the Multisport Championships together on Hudayriyat Island creates something truly special, above all for our Age-group community, who will now share the stage with the very best athletes in our sport,” said World Triathlon’s president, Antonio Arimany.

The rescheduled race comes after the world titles have been decided. Hayden Wilde and Lisa Tertsch won in Abu Dhabi in 2025, when the Hudayriyat Island sprint course was used for the first time. World Triathlon had not published start lists for the elite races when this article was written.

Derron’s last chance before Qatar

Switzerland’s Julie Derron leads the women’s T100 Race to Qatar on 64 points, two ahead of her compatriot Imogen Simmonds and three ahead of Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown. The race at Al Mamzar, a new venue this year, starts at 10:05 local time (06:05 GMT) over 2 km of swimming, 80 km of cycling and 18 km of running.

Simmonds is not among the 19 names on the start list published by the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) on 20 October, though the PTO describes the field as 20-strong. Taylor-Brown, who won in Pamplona in May, is entered, as is Kate Waugh, the 2025 T100 champion, who was second to Derron in Vancouver in August.

Derron was second to Taylor Knibb at the first Dubai T100 in 2024 and won there in November 2025, more than three minutes ahead of Waugh. She finished third in the 2024 standings and second, behind Waugh, in 2025.

“Leading the standings is a nice position to be in, but it’s very close, and with Dubai being the last race before Qatar I want to show another strong race,” Derron said in the PTO announcement.

Each athlete’s best three race scores count, plus the final. A win is worth 35 points and second 29. In Qatar, from 10 to 12 December, the winner takes 55, so the title can still change hands there.

The men’s T100 season resumes in Saudi Arabia over the weekend of 27–28 November, before both fields meet in Qatar. Dubai’s race is free to watch on TriathlonLive and the T100 YouTube channel, and on beIN Sports in the Middle East.