A promo video for the world triathlon series in Weihai. [Video by Weihai Cultural Tourism Development Group]

A world triathlon series event will kick off in Weihai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province next week.

The 2019 Weihai ITU Triathlon World Cup will open on Sept 21, while the Weihai Extreme Triathlon Series will open a day later.

To date, 925 contestants from 41 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Belarus, and Austria, have signed up for the competitions.

The world cup event has two competition groups for males and females. Surpassed only by the world championships, it is an Olympic qualifying contest, during which athletes will complete a 51.5-kilometer series, including a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike ride, and 10-kilometer run.

The Weihai Extreme Triathlon Series will include professional contests for athletes, as well as experiential ones for sports enthusiasts.

According to the organizing committee, more activities involving tourism, sports, and catering will be staged this year to attract more participants from the public. 

Participants cycle 40 km during the 2018 Weihai ITU Triathlon World Cup. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Participants swim 1.5 km during the 2018 Weihai ITU Triathlon World Cup. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]