The London Aquatics Centre is helping to blend traditional sports with the innovative world of Esports.

The venue has a rich history of major swimming events, including the iconic London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when Ellie Simmonds won four medals in the pool and Tom Daley took bronze in the 10-metre dive.

And it is now playing its part in blending traditional sports with Esports as it hosts the Super League’s Arena Games Triathlon.

The famous 2012 Olympic swimming pool, which is operated by charitable social enterprise Better, is now accommodating new innovative events such as the spectacular Grand Finale of the Arena Games Triathlon on Saturday, April 8.

After a sold-out event last year, the world’s greatest triathletes including three-time Olympic medallist Jonathan Brownlee will return to London for a third time to battle it out to be crowned the Triathlon Esports World Champion thanks to Super League’s unique partnership with World Triathlon. 

The state-of-the-art London Aquatics Centre is now looking to the future of sport by hosting ever-growing Esports events, including the Arena Games.

The dynamic new format blends real life and virtual racing to deliver an immersive viewing experience via a unique partnership with Zwift, the world’s leading online training and racing platform, which was born during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since grown a huge audience for its innovative and exciting indoor race concept.

Michael D'hulst, CEO and Co-Founder of Super League Triathlon, said: "We are very excited to hold our third Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift event at the London Aquatics Centre.

“It is a truly iconic venue and worthy of a World Championship final such as this. When we first held an event at the venue it was during Covid times and without fans, and we stood with the athletes in the arena and wondered just how amazing it would be with spectators in there.

“We found out last year when we had packed crowds and this year is on course to be a sell-out as we continue to build momentum.

"Arena Games Triathlon is a truly unique format with its mix of real life and Esports racing and really has to be seen to be believed.”

The Arena Games in London will round off the electrifying series with the overall winners set to be named the new Esports Triathlon World Champions, having already competed in Montreal and Sursee.

Keith Griffiths, General Manager of London Aquatics Centre, added: “London Aquatics Centre is a stunning venue that not only boasts a rich Olympic and Paralympic history but also showcases an innovative design by architect Zaha Hadid.

“We value and take pride in this innovation and our sports legacy here at the centre. We were hugely excited to host cutting-edge Esports events such as the Arena Games as our goal is to create thrilling experiences that captivate audiences and push boundaries.

“Whilst we are the home to elite world-class swimmers and divers, we are eagerly looking forward to hosting more events of this kind, as it enables us to expand our welcome to world class athletes from different fields.”

Heats and repechage will see two stages of swim-bike-run, while, come the final, the fastest 10 pros will race Super League’s unique Arena Games Triathlon format to decide a victor.

The triathletes will take part in three short, sharp and unpredicted stages that all feature swim, bike and run, while they even face the added challenge of the order of the disciplines being shuffled each race.

The competitors from across the globe will also take on a pursuit style start for the final stage each time they race during the event.

The swim (200m) takes place in an Olympic-sized pool, while the bike (4km) and run (1km) legs are on static equipment.

Visit https://www.londonaquaticscentre.org/events/arena-games-triathlon-2023 to book tickets.