in all three Olympic events, managing the feat at the 2020 Games. Men Women Mixed relay Medal table 16 nations have split the thirty-nine medals awarded in the triathlon events, accurate as of the conclusion of the 2020 Olympic games. Qualification Qualification spots in the triathlon are allotted to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) rather than to individual athletes. There are five ways for NOCs to earn spots in the triathlon. NOCs can earn a maximum of three spots, though only eight nations may earn that many. Nations beyond that may earn only two spots. The first five spots go to the winners of the five regional qualifying tournaments. Three more spots go to the top three triathletes of the most recent Triathlon World Championships, though any athlete that won a regional tournament is skipped in that determination. The next 39 places go to the NOCs of those athletes highest in the ITU ranking (again, skipping those athletes that have already qualified in the first two methods). A forty-eighth place is awarded to the host country if it has not already received a spot, or to the next highest ranked athlete if the host country has. Two places are awarded by the Tripartite Commission. In the end, further five places are distributed to the NOCs without any quota through the ITU Points List, with one place for each continent. Competition The Olympic triathlon is composed of two medal events, one for men and the other for women. Both use the same distances of 1.5 km, 40 km, and 10 km. Mass starts are used and drafting is allowed during the cycling phase. Because of the variability of courses and uncontrollable conditions, official time based records are not kept for the triathlon. This rule applies to Olympic games as well. Changes for Tokyo 2020 In the Olympic games, held in Tokyo, there will be the inclusion of a mixed relay race. Teams of two men and two women will compete on a course consisting of a 300m swim, 8 km cycle, and 2 km run before tagging a teammate. Nations The following nations have taken part in the triathlon competition. See also List of Olympic venues in triathlon Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's triathlon Gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's triathlon References External links Olympic.org ITU homepage Sports at the Summer Olympics Olympics