TARPON SPRINGS, Fla., and PROVIDENCE – The headquarters of the Ironman Triathlon endurance sports events will remain in Florida after its acquisition earlier this month by Providence Equity Partners Inc. for an undisclosed sum, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports.

World Triathlon Corp. (WTC) – now a property of Providence Equity holding company World Endurance Holdings – had been based in the office of Tarpon Springs opthamologist James Gills, who acquired the Ironman brand 19 years ago, from former race director Valerie Silk, for a reported $3 million.

Providence Equity plans to move the event organizer to nearby Tampa, the regional business journal said. In announcing the acquisition earlier this month, the parties had said the headquarters would move, probably to somewhere in the Tampa Bay area.

“We’re pleased to be working with [WTC] CEO Ben Fertic and team to further grow the business,” Providence Equity Partners said in a statement posted at the official Ironman Web site. “We look forward to building on its tremendous success as the leading user-based sports brand in the world,” the equity firm said. “We’re supportive of management’s current strategy and will provide financial and strategic resources to support Ironman’s plans in the U.S. and abroad.”

Each year, WTC produces or licenses 53 Ironman Triathlons and half-Ironman events around the world, including a July qualifying event in Rhode Island that was held for the first time this year (READ MORE) and the Ironman world championship each October in Hawaii.

“Providence’s expertise in building and growing innovative, industry-leading companies will be an exceptional fit with our long-term goals,” Fertic said at the time. “We appreciate their commitment to our unique culture.”

WTC officials had been approached by Providence Equity “several times over the years,” added WTC’s Blair LaHaye, who noted that “several of the Providence Equity execs are endurance athletes and one of its board members is an Ironman athlete.”

Providence Equity Partners Inc. is a global private investment firm – based in Providence, with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, London, Hong Kong and New Delhi – that specializes in media, entertainment, communications and information companies. Since its founding in 1989, Providence Equity has made investments in more than 100 companies. Its equity commitments total about $22 billion. Additional information is available at www.provequity.com.

For more information about official Ironman endurance events, including the Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island, visit www.ironman.com.