The International Triathlon Union have announced five new Continental Cups to its 2008 season; two in Africa, two in Europe and one in Asia. All will be draft-legal Olympic distance races consisting of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run. ITU Triathlon Continental Cups are highly important for athletes to earn ITU points to gain entry into the BG Triathlon World Cup series and the announcement of these extra races will surely come as good news to many athletes and countries who are still looking for Olympic qualification places.

In Europe, Chania, the second-largest city on Crete in Greece, will host an ITU Triathlon European Cup on April 13. The race will be pivotal for many European athletes vying for a spot at the prestigious ETU Triathlon European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal on May 10-11. The popular Hungarian resort town of Balatonfured will also host an ITU Triathlon European Cup for the first time. The Olympic distance event will take place on June 14 near the shores of scenic Lake Balaton, located approximately 100 kilometers south west of Budapest, home of the 2010 Triathlon World Championships.

In Africa, Bloemfontein will host an ITU Triathlon African Cup on 23 February. For African triathletes, the race will be an important prelude to the ATU African Triathlon Championships in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia on March 8-9. Mauritius will also stage an ITU Triathlon African Cup on May 11.

For the first time, Seoul has been awarded an ITU Triathlon Asian Cup on 25 May; marking the first time an ITU sanctioned international triathlon will take place in the South Korean capital. The event will take place in the middle of the city, an area known as Yeoui-do, the financial center of Korea. Participants will swim two laps in the Han river, cycle six laps around the skyscrapers such as LG Twin Tower and the Korea Stock Exchange, and run four laps on the riverside park.