{"id":6664,"date":"2020-11-12T02:32:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T02:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsnewsforyou.com\/?p=6664"},"modified":"2020-11-12T02:32:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T02:32:00","slug":"age-group-triathlon-does-the-system-need-a-shake-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/?p=6664","title":{"rendered":"Age-group triathlon: does the system need a shake up?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Representative age-group racing should be celebrated as a great triathlon success story \u2013 at its best when those new to the sport realise they have a talent for swim, bike and run and find a route to sporting achievement. With the categories topping out with the 85-89-year-old age-group in last year\u2019s ITU world champs on Gold Coast, it clearly provides invigorating competition, irrespective of age.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It should therefore retain athletes in triathlon for longer, and create camaraderie and a sense of pride in flying the nation\u2019s flag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet its governance is one of the sport\u2019s most thorny issues, and while occasional gripes are unavoidable, sometimes decisions really raise hackles. Such was the case when British Triathlon decreed that age-group competitors wanting to represent in 2019 must buy the latest kit, going against a ruling from the ITU that previous years\u2019 race uniforms would suffice.<\/p>\n

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It effectively strong-arms qualifiers into forking out upwards of \u00a3120 for a new tri-suit, on top of up to \u00a3320 for a standard-distance entry, plus a \u00a320 international race fee and minimum \u00a336 British Triathlon membership. That\u2019s before travel and accommodation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not simply the extra cost, but the impression that a loyal and captivated audience is being exploited. The flames are further fanned because, unlike when taking part in Ironman, a private company known for its aggressive for-profit stance, athletes feel they\u2019re being screwed over by their national governing body \u2013 the organisation that should have their backs.<\/p>\n

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Discussing age-group racing is divisive. Past columns on this subject have been met with a backlash for decrying the achievements of triathletes who work hard to qualify. On the contrary, I salute any athlete who makes the start line, be it aquathlon, duathlon or triathlon. The supporting personnel for the GB age-group team also regularly receive glowing reviews.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But to whitewash the current structure as fit for purpose belies the feeling of many who enter in good faith but become disillusioned with the system. It doesn\u2019t help that few nations put as much stock in age-group racing as Britain, which means events look lopsidedly stuffed with competitors wearing the Union Jack. Look up past world and European races and the individual achievement of securing a qualifying berth is undermined by an excess of British athletes on the start list.<\/p>\n

Despite the high fees, British Triathlon says it makes little profit from this venture and admits it\u2019s a problem that needs addressing. Perhaps the finances simply don\u2019t add up and age-group racing relies on heavy British involvement to function, but it\u2019s time to take stock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A representative team should reward high-achieving amateurs and make wearing the GB colours something to aspire to. There needs to be fewer racing and more financial support given. Or that mandatory tri-suit you\u2019ve been forced to buy will be all sheen without substance.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Representative age-group racing should be celebrated as a great triathlon success story \u2013 at its best when those new to the sport realise they have a talent for swim, bike and run and find a route to sporting achievement. With the categories topping out with the 85-89-year-old age-group in last year\u2019s ITU world champs on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6664\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}