Australia's Olympic triathlon hopefuls will have the first significant gauge of early-season form this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Most of the triathletes in contention for Rio selection will race at Saturday's opening round of the world triathlon series.
London Games bronze medallist Erin Densham, fellow London women's team member Emma Jackson and two-time Olympian Courtney Atkinson are in the Australian team of six men and four women.
They are building up to the April 9-10 second round of the world series on the Gold Coast.
The first Australians across the line in the men's and women's Gold Coast races will be nominated for the Rio team, so long as they finish in the top 10.
Gold Coast will be the last chance for Australian triathletes to gain automatic nomination for Rio selection.
Aaron Royle is the sole Australian triathlon nomination so far for the Olympics, after his sixth place last August at the Rio test event.
After a succession of injuries in the last few months, Royle will start his season on Saturday at the sprint-distance Oceania Cup in his home town of Wollongong.
While Abu Dhabi will feature the Olympic format of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run, the Wollongong race will be half those distances.
"I'm happy that it's a sprint format to kick off the season," Royle told the Triathlon Australia website.
"I haven't had the smoothest of starts to the year with a few little niggles, but I think it will be a good to get back into gear with this race.
"I was in two minds whether to start a week ago, but the race virtually goes right past my front door and I can roll out of bed onto the start line and be back in my couch straight after the race."
Wollongong will also feature American star Gwen Jorgensen, who has dominated the world series for the last two years and is the strong favourite for Rio gold.
Jorgensen regularly is based in Wollongong for training.
The one notable Olympic hopeful not racing this weekend is Emma Moffatt.
The 2008 Beijing Games bronze medallist and dual Olympian will next race at the March 12 Mooloolaba World Cup.
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