At its 21st Congress in Madrid, a new President, Secretary General and Executive Board of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) were elected. Marisol Casado of Spain ran unopposed and was officially sworn in as new President, just the second in ITU's history. Canadian Loreen Barnett was uncontested as the new Secretary General, making ITU the only Olympic International Federation to have women as President and Secretary General.
Four Vice-Presidents were also elected including Australian Bill Walker, Antonio Alvarez of Mexico, Kyung-Sun Yu of South Korea, and Sarah Springman, President of the British Triathlon Federation. Tom Carrasco of The Philippines ran unopposed for Treasurer.
“It is such an honour to be elected as Vice President, especially under the newly appointed Marisol Casado, who will be keen to take our dynamic sport to even higher levels,” Springman said. “With the Olympic focus moving to London over the next four years, British Triathlon has aspirations to increase participation, improve performance and raise the profile of the sport; it will be an extremely busy period. Development and inclusion will be key and we hope to achieve Paralympic programme status for our disabled athletes as soon as possible too,” she added.
British Triathlon’s CEO, Zara Hyde Peters, is extremely happy for Springman: “Sarah is well known here and internationally, and has served as an inspiration to many. This election is a well-deserved recognition of her dedication to the sport over multiple decades. British Triathlon will continue to encourage and support Sarah in her endeavours as Vice President. With an individual of Sarah’s calibre in such a prestigious position, triathlon at an international level is in good hands.”
UK Sport’s International Policy Consultant Ben Calveley said: “It’s great to see Britons stepping up to such challenges. Sarah’s election to Vice President is a testament to her commitment to the sport. She has the best interest of the sport at heart and her contribution will be invaluable.”
ITU's founding President Les McDonald of Canada retires this year and accepted the position of Honorary President, as proposed by British Triathlon, after consulting with ITU's existing Honorary President Gunnar Ericsson of Sweden.
Former British Triathlon Association Chair, Jasmine Flatters, was elected onto the ITU's Technical Committee and BTF Director with portfolio for Performance, Chris Kitchen, was elected to a position on the ITU Duathlon Committee.
About British Triathlon
British Triathlon is the National Governing Body for triathlon, the UK’s fastest growing sport. At international level Great Britain boasts a strong squad of world ranked elite triathletes who regularly achieve international success and has some outstanding young talent emerging from its youth programmes. Since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, British Triathlon has seen annual increases in membership numbers of 10%. There are over 700 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year including the renowned Mazda London Triathlon and British Triathlon Elite Series which attracts athletes from all over the world. (BritishTriathlon.org)
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