The growth and development of paratriathlon inside the International Triathlon Union (ITU) has a history of more than 20 years. There are some known isolated participations in 1983 and 1984 who may be the very first ones inside recognized triathlon competitions in the USA. Slowly, it became more popular till the number was big enough to have them kind of structured in categories based on impairments and racing together with the age group waves. In 1996 in Cleveland, this recognition led to the first official World Championships for paratriathletes inside ITU. It was named as AWAD (Athletes with a Disability) and was run under this name till 2005 when the term Paratriathlon was set. It was run under the Olympic distance till 2009, when it was changed to Sprint distance and has remained like this ever since.
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