In a glittering night of sports awards, British Triathlon has been confirmed as the Sport Governing Body of the Year. The award, sponsored by the Daily Telegraph newspaper was presented at the annual Sport Industry Awards ceremony in London.
The star-studded event was attended by 1,750 key figures from the world of sport, including a huge number of high-profile media, entertainment and sporting celebrities alongside the most influential figures in British and European sport.
The judging panel, which came from a broad spectrum of sport and business, analysed the six shortlisted governing bodies’ (British Triathlon, ECB, British Cycling, UKA, England Netball and the Rugby Football League) delivery across four key pillars of governance – Performance, Leadership, Community and Ethics.
For British Triathlon, which also won in 2010, the award is true recognition of the unstinting hard work and commitment made by many to the continued progress and development of triathlon in the UK.
Dr Sarah Springman CBE, British Triathlon President said “We are delighted that British Triathlon has been awarded the 2012 Sport Governing Body of the Year. We have been fired up by the 2012 Olympics and our four year plan reflects this, with challenging targets that we have exceeded every year in delivering outstanding performance on the world class stages that we create, and raising the profile and inspiring people to take part in this fast growing, dynamic sport.
“The judges considered leadership, ethics and governance, performance and community and it’s hugely gratifying to have been recognised by the sports industry twice in three years.”
She added, “We are indebted to our strong set of sponsors and partners who are fully aligned with our purpose, working with us to ensure success. And, of course, we are all working towards two very important dates in Hyde Park in August. I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to support our very talented athletes on 4 and 7 August when triathlon promises to be one of the most popular mass spectator events of the London 2012 Olympic Games.”
In the last twelve months, British Triathlon has achieved:
- 13 elite world champions in all disciplines; elite medal success on the future Olympic course
- Route of Dextro Energy Triathlon World Championship Series in Hyde Park went past Buckingham Palace; entry places sold out in 72 hours and nearly 5000 athletes competed in all races
- Won the right to host the Triathlon World Series Grand Final Championships 2013 at the same event venue in post Games legacy
- Top 5 Olympic sport for ticket applications
- TV and print media increased, driven by iconic new venues such as Canary Wharf; and event partnerships brought three times as much investment to the sport of triathlon as the organisation’s 2009 turnover
- Leading contribution to inclusion of paratriathletes and triathlon mixed relay in the Paralympics and Commonwealth Games respectively
- Ethics on and off the field of play, transparency and integrity on governance and sustainability have always been a key focus
- 12000 kids participating in 18 Tata Kids of Steel community triathlons around the country
- Broadcasting the Hyde Park event ‘Triathlon Live’ on six city centre big screens with parallel tri-activity in two sites as the first piloted project aimed at encouraging active community spectating of an Olympic sport
As British Triathlon notes, this has been achieved only because of valued partnerships:
- with its members (Triathlon England, triahlonscotland, WelshTriathlon) and their members
- UK Sport and key stakeholders
- Commercial sponsors, Tata Steel, GE and other supporters
- International Federation, ITU
- Event partners Upsolut
- LOCOG and the BOA
