The enormous growth of the sport of triathlon in Australia has led to the formation of the Australian Professional Triathlon Race Directors Association Incorporated (APTRDA).
A release from the new association notes that ‘the formation of APTRDA will allow for a formal/officially recognised group to negotiate with stakeholders on a range of issues in the interests of all race directors nationally across Australia.’
“This is a very significant historic development in the sport of triathlon,” said Ken Baggs, the association’s inaugural President. Baggs is a past Chairman of the Triathlon Australia Race Directors Committee and the former 27 year Race Director of IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races in Australia.
APTRDA was born on 18 November this year when NSW Fair Trading granted registration of the incorporated association, with the first meeting held on 27 November.
The inaugural meeting saw the formation of a committee comprising:
Office bearers:
President and Public Officer – Ken Baggs
Vice President – David Hansen
Treasurer/Secretary – Brendon Downey
Committee members:
Geoff Meyer
Mark Emerton
David Budge
“We look forward, as a highly professional group with collectively many years of experience in presenting events of the highest quality, to working closely with all race directors throughout Australia and also the National Governing Body –Triathlon Australia –for better communication and negotiation at all levels for the betterment of the sport” added Ken Baggs.
APTRDA will be inviting all Race Directors to join through a membership application process that will be launched in the near future; and further details will follow as they become available.
