For many of the triathletes competing in the World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships 2023, which take place between 13 and 16 July in Hamburg, there is much more than personal glory on the line.

The winning team in Sunday’s mixed relay event will earn four Paris 2024 quota spots for their nation - two for men and two for women, providing their NOC have not already qualified for the Games.

France and Great Britain have already secured their mixed relay spots at the next Olympic Games, courtesy of the former’s status as the host nation and Britain’s second-place finish behind France at last year’s Mixed Relay World Championships in Montreal.

For the other nations competing, a win - or second place behind Britain - will be enough to book their tickets to the next Olympics in the capital of France.

Find out everything you need to know about the event below.

Big rewards on offer in Hamburg with Paris spots up for grabs

Paris 2024 host nation France have not sent a team for the mixed relay in Hamburg, leaving just Britain of the qualified nations competing in Germany.

For all other nations involved in the mixed relay event, victory will take them to next year’s Games in Paris.

While the exact mixed relay teams for Sunday’s Hamburg race will not be known until later in the week, Norway are expected to be a strong contender for the world title.

Both Olympic individual champion Kristian Blummenfelt and Ironman supremo Gustav Iden are expected to compete in the event, but Norway's depth of talent doesn’t stop there. At the recent European Games in Poland, Norway’s Vetle Thorn and Solveig Lovseth won gold in the men’s and women’s competition, respectively, while Norway also topped the podium in the mixed relay.

They will face a stiff challenge from a USA team that could include Olympic individual bronze medallist and mixed relay silver medallist Katie Zaferes, with the former world champion heading to Hamburg alongside triathlon stars Summer Rappaport and last year’s Championship Series silver medallist Taylor Spivey.

Germany, who have a history of strong performances in the mixed relay, can call on the likes of 2022 European silver medallist Laura Lindemann, while New Zealand head to Germany with Hayden Wilde, the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist, among their ranks.

What is the format of the World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships 2023

While the mixed relay event is the only race guaranteeing Paris 2024 quotas, that’s by no means the end of the action at the World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships 2023. 

The elite super sprint distance race employs an exciting eliminator format, whereby athletes will need to qualify for the final via semi-finals and repechages. 

It promises to be a fast, furious and thrilling addition to the programme. 

Sunday’s mixed relay sees each nation send four competitors - two women and two men - out to race, with each member completing a super-sprint distance triathlon. 

For the best teams, it’s all over in under 90 minutes, with each athlete required to swim for 300m, cycle for 6.8km, and run for 2km in a traditional relay format.

World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships 2023 schedule 

Friday 14 July 

08:00: Elite - Men Super Sprint (qualifiers)

10:00: Elite - Women Super Sprint (qualifiers)

19:00 - Elite - Men/Women Super Sprint (repechage)

Saturday 15 July 

19:40 - Elite Men/Women Super Sprint World Championships finals 

Sunday 16 July 

14:15 - Elite - Mixed Relay World Championships

How to watch the World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championships 2023

The World Triathlon Championship Series elite races are streamed live and on-demand at triathlonlive.tv