What is "aquathlon"

n. A swimming-and-running race.

The sport of aquathlon consists of a continuous, two-stage race involving swimming followed by running. The International Triathlon Union (ITU) and its member federation organizations sanction competitions and govern the sport. An aquathlon is also called an "aquathon." The ITU and USA Triathlon sanctioning organizations generally use the term aquathlon.

Aquathlon (also known as underwater wrestling) is an underwater sport where two competitors wearing masks and fins wrestle underwater in an attempt to remove a ribbon from each other's ankle band in order to win the bout. The "combat" takes place in a square ring within a swimming pool, and is made up of three 30-second rounds, with a fourth round played in the event of a tie. The sport originated during the 1980s in the former USSR (now Russia) and was first played at international level in 1993. It was recognised by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) in 2008.