Prize money from the seven Series events and the year-end bonus pool will total $1.65 million (£1.01 million).

The Grand Final in Beijing, contested on the 2008 Olympic venue, will feature a $250,000 (£154,000) prize purse while the prize money for every other Series event will be $150,000 (£93,000).

Athletes will vie for an additional $500,000 (£309,000) in the year-end bonus pool which pays the top 20 ranked women and men at season's end.

A star-studded group of World Champions and Olympic medallists have been selected for the 2011 Gold Group, which was established in 2009 as a means of raising the profile of the outstanding triathletes, their National Federations, and to build global awareness of triathlon's stars.

The prominent squad of 10 women and 10 men will act as the premier athlete ambassadors of the ITU, encouraging the general public and youth to participate in the sport.

The Gold Group athletes will enjoy the privilege of securing extra quota slots for their respective countries at each Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series race.

In all, the group includes eight Olympic medallists and ten World Championship titles with all five continents represented.

The athletes are chosen according to the following selection criteria: top three at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the highest ranked in the 2010 ITU World Championship Series rankings.

Alongside last year's Gold Group, new faces on the women's list are Canada's Paula Findlay, South Africa's Kate Roberts and Britain's Vicky Holland, while Portugal's Joao Silva and Switzerland's Sven Riederer are the new names among the men.


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