The Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley triathlon has been selected to host the 2026 Ironman 70.3 North American Championship.

The event, which will return to the central Pennsylvania destination on June 14, 2026, will offer a North American Championship title, an elevated professional prize purse and increased age group qualifying opportunities for the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.

“We are thrilled to bring the Ironman 70.3 North American Championship race to State College and the Happy Valley Community to showcase this beautiful venue,” said AJ Sills, Northeast Regional Director for Ironman. “State College has been a phenomenal host since the event was launched in 2023, and we could not be prouder to see this event host some of the best athletes from around the world next June with this prestigious designation.”

The 2026 Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley North American Championship race will take athletes on a 1.2-mile swim in Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir at Bald Eagle State Park, a 56-mile bike ride through the hills of Centre and Clinton counties and a a 13.1-mile run on the campus of Penn State University including a finish line experience alongside Beaver Stadium, home to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

“Being selected to host the Ironman 70.3 North American Championship race is a tremendous opportunity for Happy Valley,” said Eric Engelbarts, executive director of the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance. “This event will bring thousands of athletes, families and fans to our region, creating a powerful economic impact for our local businesses while showcasing Happy Valley as a premier sports tourism destination. We are proud to continue building a reputation that puts our region on the global stage.”

“We are thrilled that the Ironman 70.3 Series is returning to Happy Valley in a big way,” said Fritz Smith, president and chief executive officer of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. “From a visitation perspective, hosting the North American Championship is of course wonderful news. But it means more than that. For the past three years, the community has fully embraced the event – from turning out in large numbers to volunteer or to simply cheer on these elite athletes. This announcement is equally fantastic news for residents, whom I am confident will be ready to show competitors and their families true Happy Valley hospitality.”

The American Kennel Club has announced that the third annual AKC Agility League Championship and 2025 North American Diving Dogs Fall Fling, will be staged September 26–28 at the T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University in Pendleton, South Carolina.

The AKC Agility League Championship is sponsored by Purina Pro Plan. The weekend features competition at every league level: Elementary (pre-Novice), Freshman (Novice), Sophomore (Open), Senior (Masters), and PhD (ISC). More than 500 dogs are expected to compete, with top teams and individual dogs crowned in each division.

The AKC is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the world’s largest registry of purebred dogs and a leading advocate for canine welfare and responsible ownership. While entries close September 1, the AKC Agility League Championship already has seen a 33% uptick in entries from last year, with more 90 teams competing from around the country, including Alaska, New York, Wisconsin and Louisiana.

“We are so excited for this year’s Agility League championship,” said Penny Leigh, director of AKC Agility League. “To have this event bring together agility athletes and teams from across the country is a joy to witness. It’s especially exciting that diving dogs will be a part of the action this year.”

The AKC Agility League Championship will be held in conjunction with the first 2025 North American Diving Dogs Fall Fling, which will feature three days of dock diving competition in distance, air retrieve, and hydrodash disciplines.

World Football Sevens, a women’s 7v7 soccer event that debuted this year in Portugal, will move to the United States for its second event in December in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The W7F event will be December 5—7 at Beyond Bancard Field, home of the new Fort Lauderdale United FC. The 7v7 format features 15-minute halves and rolling substitutions.

“We’re thrilled to confirm our second World Sevens Football tournament will take place this December in Fort Lauderdale,” said Jennifer Mackesy, co-founder of W7F. “We can’t wait to welcome this new group of players to what we promise will be not just fun and competitive, but also financially rewarding.”

The inaugural event in Portugal featured Ajax, Bayern München, Benfica, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma, and FC Rosengård. Bayern München claimed the championship and the majority of a $5 million prize pool, with the prize money split between clubs and players. The Fort Lauderdale event will also have a $5 million prize pool.

“With an average of 11 goals every 90 minutes of play and unforgettable moments on and off the pitch, we saw undeniable proof of concept,” Head of W7F Football Adrian Jacob said. “Now, we’re building on that momentum and in advanced conversations with some of the top clubs across the Americas, all truly eager to be part of World Sevens. This isn’t just a tournament—it’s a movement, this time in America, where women’s soccer has unprecedented momentum.”

Visit Overland Park and the Association of Pickleball Players have reached a five-year agreement that will bring an annual APP Tour to the Kansas destination starting in 2026. The APP Overland Park Open will be one of 12 stops on the national APP Tour, with the tournament staged at AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk beginning September 16–20, 2026.

“The selection of Overland Park as a tour stop for the APP is another confirmation of Overland Park’s appeal as a place to visit and compete,” said Eric Olson, vice president of sports and events for Visit Overland Park. “Hosting the APP Overland Park Open reflects Visit Overland Park’s commitment to attracting world-class sporting events that drive tourism and economic growth. We’re eager to showcase our facilities, hospitality and community spirit to thousands of athletes and visitors from across the country.”

Established in 2019 as the first professional pickleball tour, and officially sanctioned by USA Pickleball, the APP Tour offers singles, doubles and mixed play, alongside amateur brackets, clinics and community events.

“The APP is proud to set down roots in Overland Park in 2026, bringing three incredible world-class pickleball events to the city for all to enjoy,” said Ryan McSpadden, APP chief revenue officer. “Pickleball fans across the Midwest will see the world’s best pro players at our APP Tour event, the sport’s rising superstars at APP Next, and the nation’s top college teams battle it out at our collegiate qualifier event. With plenty of action in store, we’re pleased to have a terrific partnership with Visit OP to help make these events the best experience possible for both players and fans alike.”

The APP estimates the event will attract 200 professional athletes and roughly 1,000 amateur players from across the United States. Similar tournaments in Overland Park in previous years resulted in more than $1 million in direct economic impact, according to Destination International’s event impact calculator.

That past success inspired two years of discussions with APP to pair its tour with Overland Park and Bluhawk’s purpose-built facilities, benefiting the entire region.

“Hosting major sports events provides a positive economic impact to local businesses and provides another opportunity to strengthen Overland Park as a place to visit, live and work,” said Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog. “This announcement is another example of Visit Overland Park’s continued success in securing Overland Park as a premier host of visitors and athletes.”

Pulaski County Sports and Entertainment has announced that Cynisca Cycling, one of the world’s top women’s road cycling teams, will train in the Virginia destination for a training camp from August 31 to September 4, 2025.

“We are excited to welcome Cynisca Cycling to Pulaski County,” said Tim Miller, executive director of Pulaski County Sports and Entertainment. “Hosting a team of this caliber is a great way to showcase all the county has to offer and is the first step in a much larger cycling tourism strategy.”

The team will be preparing for the Maryland Cycling Classic, which will be staged in downtown Baltimore on September 7. The event includes both a men’s and women’s race, and will feature a mix of international and domestic teams with some of the best male and female racers in the world.

The three-year-old Cynisca Cycling team has been in existence since 2023, founded by Indiana native Chris Gutowsky, who also has ties to Southwest Virginia. Gutowsky was part of the staff, along with Miller, that produced the former Tour DuPont, an international men’s stage race that visited the region back in the 1990s with finishes in Roanoke, Salem, and Blacksburg, as well as starts in Wytheville and Bristol.

Cynisca has several former and current national champions on its roster. Riders attending the training camp and planning to compete in Baltimore include:

• Chloe Patrick (USA), winner of the individual time trial at the U.S. National Championships in 2025
• Caoimhe O’Brien (IRL), who finished second in the road race at the Irish National Championships in 2025
• Heide Franz (USA), who won a stage of the Vuelta a Portugal Feminina and finished third overall in 2025
• Natalie Quinn (USA), who won the Heusden Koers Dames in Belgium in 2025
• Allison Mrugal (USA), who logged numerous top-10 finishes for the team over the last two years.
• Katja Verkerk (CAN), who logged numerous top-10 finishes for the team in 2025

“Over the past three years, Cynisca Cycling has been dedicated to creating pathways for women cyclists to compete at the highest levels of racing both domestically and internationally, resulting in wins and podium finishes alongside some of the best cyclists in the world”, said Robin Farina, general manager of Cynisca Cycling. “We are grateful to Pulaski County for welcoming us, for providing an exceptional opportunity to train as a team, and for their support of our mission to elevate women’s cycling. It’s supporters like Pulaski County that make our success possible, and why we’ll head into Baltimore ready to compete for another victory.”

The WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup will return to Australia in April 2027 in Redcliffe, Queensland, 45 minutes outside of Brisbane, returning to the country where the inaugural World Cup was played in 1965.

“We’re thrilled with the announcement of Redcliffe as host of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “Held one year before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and five years until the Brisbane 2032 Games, this tournament will highlight Australia’s strong passion for softball and the deep roots the sport has in the country’s sporting community.”

“We want to see more global sporting events call Queensland home over the next seven years to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Women’s Softball World Cup is a perfect fit,” said Queensland Minister for Sport and Racing and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander. “This is a sport with a strong Olympic history, having been included in the Games in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2020, and it’s fantastic to see it returning at LA 2028. We all remember the impact of the Matildas in 2023 and competing on home turf in a Softball World Cup in 2027 will inspire more young women to emulate their sporting heroes on the field.”

Visit Tuscaloosa and the city of Northport, Alabama, have been awarded the HBCU Athletic Conference’s Baseball and Softball Championships through 2028 at the newly constructed River Run Park one mile north of the Stillman College campus, the first time a college softball and baseball conference championship has been hosted north of the river in Tuscaloosa County.

The agreement extends Visit Tuscaloosa’s partnership with the HBCU Athletic Conference, which began in October 2023 when the then Gulf Coast Athletic Conference announced Visit Tuscaloosa would host the conference basketball championship at Stillman College. That bid was extended through the 2025—2026 seasons.

“We are thrilled to welcome the HBCUAC back to Tuscaloosa and to showcase all our community has to offer, including this brand new sports complex in Northport,” said Kelsey Rush, president and chief executive officer of Visit Tuscaloosa. “From our state-of-the-art facilities at River Run Park to the vibrant energy of our entire area, we look forward to hosting student-athletes, coaches, and fans for an unforgettable championship experience.”

Tuscaloosa County will now be home to three HBCUAC championships in the 2026 spring semester. Each championship includes a welcome reception hosted by Visit Tuscaloosa.

“The opportunity to bring 16 teams to our baseball and softball championships in Northport for the next three years is a win for our student-athletes, fans, and the entire conference,” said Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes, HBCUAC Commissioner. “River Run Park will provide a premier stage for competition, and Visit Tuscaloosa’s commitment to creating an exceptional experience will make these championships memorable for years to come.”

Tarragona, Spain, will host the 2026 European Triathlon Championships with the Port of Tarragona serving as the event’s epicenter.

“This sporting event will once again place Tarragona on the international sports map,” said Tarragona Councillor for Sports and Sports Tourism, Mario Soler. “It is a shared challenge that will become reality thanks to joint work between institutions and organizations.”

The Tarragona bid was led by the Spanish Triathlon Federation and supported by others including the Catalan Government’s Department of Sports, Catalan Triathlon Federation and the Spanish Sports Council.

“From the very first moment we received the proposal from the Catalan and Spanish Triathlon Federations, we knew it was an extraordinary opportunity,” said the Catalan Government’s Minister for Sports, Berni Álvarez. “This designation is the result of joint work and a firm commitment to promoting triathlon and positioning Tarragona as a European sporting benchmark. I am convinced that in 2026 we will experience a memorable event that will leave both a sporting and social legacy for years to come.”

The Olympic distance event could be held in June 2026 and include a program of competitions featuring Elite, Age-Group (Sprint and Standard distance) and Para Triathlon categories.

“It is an honor to award Tarragona the organization of the 2026 European Championships,” Europe Triathlon President Marc d’Hoodge said. “We are convinced that in June 2026 we will witness a landmark championship that, at the start of a new Olympic cycle, will project Tarragona and Catalonia across Europe and leave a lasting sporting and social legacy.”