Penza, 15 August 2013. PenzaNews. Chairman of the Technical Committee of the European Triathlon Union (ETU) Paul Groves praised the track located in Mokshansky area of the Penza region, where the next stage of the European Cup will take place on August 17–18.

“A lot has changed for the better since my first visit to Penza in 2011. The development of triathlon in the region is evident. Athletes have the opportunity to train at a well-prepared track. And that’s a great chance to show that Penza is a sports center not only in gymnastics, track and field, swimming and diving, but also in a triathlon,” he said during a meeting with journalists on Thursday, August 15.

According to Paul Groves, the main obstacle for the foreign athletes may be getting Russian visa.

“It is easy to come to Penza from Moscow. So our task is to inform the athletes that it’s not a problem to get here, and as a result they will take part in competition that may be called a high-quality product. Moreover, Russia now ranks high in triathlon,” ETU representative said.

In turn, Chairman of the Regional Committee of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism Artur Panteleev noted that ETU President Renato Bertrandi would visit the Penza region for the first time.

“We hope that this visit will serve as an incentive for European athletes and encourage them to participate in Russian stages of the European Cup,” he added.

Artur Panteleev also stressed that the prize fund of the competition is 20 million euros.

According to the President of the regional Triathlon Federation Vladimir Andreev, triathlon has shown significant growth in Russia over the last 5 years.

“It is no coincidence that our compatriot Ivan Vasiliev won the European Championship in Turkey this year. Russian athletes Dmitry Polyansky, Ivan Vasiliev, Vladimir Turbaevsky and Alexander Bryukhankov are among the top twenty world triathletes. All of them will take part in the competition in Penza. Our athletes Tatiana Danilova and Arina Shulgina will participate in the category of girls under 23 years old. Moreover, of course, we hope for success of our juniors: Ilya Prasolov, Anastasia Gorbunova, Yaroslav Potanin, Dmitry Rybin and Julia Golofeeva,” the press service of the Regional Committee of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism quoted Vladimir Andreev.