The International Triathlon Union is committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide. The ITU seeks to support these goals through strong relationships with continental and national federation constituents, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme from grass roots to a high performance level. ITU has been able to establish a number of sport development initiatives that address the needs of young and elite athletes, particularly focusing on those from emerging and developing federations. These initiatives form the foundations upon which National Federations, particularly developing and emerging federations, can build an athlete development pipeline – a key element of any long term performance sports strategy. Such a pipeline is important as federations, athletes and their coaches strive for sustained competitive excellence at all levels of the sport.