The Championship Series consists of multiple rounds of competitions culminating in a Grand Final race.

Athletes compete head-to-head for points in these races that will determine the overall World Triathlon champion.

With the creation and hosting of the first ITU Triathlon World Championship in 1989 the ITU had established itself and the sports premier event but the sport overall lacked cohesion with races of varying lengths and prize pools, which increased the difficulty for triathletes to train and plan for seasons ahead.

With a world championship and a regular season established the ITU's attention moved onto other issues including earning the sport a place at the Olympics.

However, there were major monetary concerns one week after the announcement as the ITUs main sponsor BG had pulled out of its nine-year sponsorship deal after only two years.

This influx of cash meant that athletes would be to earn almost triple what they had previously helping to draw more into the sport.

[1] Only two triathletes succeeded in winning World Championships under both formats, Javier Gomez of Spain, and Helen Jenkins (née Tucker) of Great Britain and Wales.

[citation needed] During the 2023 events, at least 57 participants fell ill after swimming off Roker Beach in Sunderland.

An Environment Agency sample taken three days before the event indicated 3,900 E. coli colonies per 100ml, over 39 times higher than readings taken the previous month, but the results were not published until after the competition.