NTT - officially known as Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation - had originally become a global partner of the ITU in 2016 and will continue to serve as its exclusive communications and systems integration partner. 

As part of their strategy leading up to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, NTT also will acquire rights at various triathlon events in Japan, Asia and worldwide.

"It has been a real pleasure working with a company like NTT for the last few years, and I’m convinced that keeping this relationship moving forward will be excellent for both organisations," said ITU President Marisol Casado.

"NTT has a proven history of delivering value to clients to the highest standards, which is also one of our main goals at ITU."

Casado added: "This great cooperation will help us in our mission to make triathlon accessible to everyone by providing state of the art technological services to athletes, fans and spectators alike. 

"And I want to extend our gratitude to the Japanese Triathlon Union, whose support has been vital for this lasting agreement in the pursuit of growing the sport not only in Japan but globally."

Brokered jointly by ITU and the Japan Triathlon Union (JTU), the deal extends the partnership so that NTT Group will be the global partner on all ITU’s World Triathlon Series, which this year comprises eight events.

Also, NTT Group will showcase its products and services to a global audience of sport fans thanks to the partnership with the top-tier series of races for ITU, the World Triathlon Series.

In 2015, the NTT Group were appointed as the first Gold Partner of Tokyo 2020 to serve as the official telecommunications services partner.