teamTBB, ‘the world’s longest running professional team’ since its launch in late 2006, has been officially closed for business. A statement on the team’s Facebook page, on Friday 2 January, broke the sad news…
Thank you to each and every[one] who has been involved with teamTBB since the humble beginnings in December 2006. It’s been an amazing experience for athletes, coaches, sponsors and founders.
We have worked relentlessly and were driven by passion these past 8 years to implement our mission of providing hope and opportunity through sports. I know this goal was achieved year in year out.
This team provided many young people in countries such as Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Mexico, Netherlands, USA, Brazil, UK, Australia, Belgium, Japan and Germany an opportunity to live their dream, become a full time athlete and be the best they could be.
We have provided more than 100 development athletes a helping hand in the challenging step from amateur athlete to professional athlete.
In the process teamTBB produced some 5 World Champions, 49 Ironman Champions (last teamTBB Ironman Champion was Diana Riesler in Sept 2014 in Malaysia) and 100+ other major race wins around the world.
There are however more good causes in [the] world that are in need of support and resources, to mention just one; orphanages in the North of Thailand. I therefore believe it was only fair to close one door gracefully before opening a new door without spreading time and efforts too thin.
Our team website will be updated over the next few weeks to pay respect and say thank you to the many people and sponsors that have helped teamTBB succeed in its goals for all those years.
I’m grateful for the experiences these past 8 years have provided me to see the passion, commitment and will-power people can produce to fulfil their dreams. It shows when we put our minds to something and really are willing to put in our best effort and hard work, we can create miracles!
I wish all of you who were part of this entire journey a healthy, happy and successful 2015. If we can all focus our own efforts on providing some hope and love to someone in need and those close around us, it will become an amazing year! As written by Victor Hugo in the musical Les Miserables: “To love another person is to see the face of God.”
Wishing you a love filled 2015!
The announcement will be a blow to the emergence of triathlon teams, which have a role in raising the profile of triathlon and providing support to professional triathletes.
In June 2014, following a shake-up at the end of 2013, teamTBB re-launched for the 2014-15 season with a focus on its mission of ‘operating a sustainable and professional sports organisation that helps improve lives around the world.’ As the above statement points out, the team has had to realign its resources and, sadly, this has meant the end of the long running team.
The future of team triathlon will now have to be picked up by other high profile players. After the withdrawal of Commerzbank as title sponsor of its eponymous triathlon team in 2011, the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team is currently the largest and, arguably, most established pro triathlete team. It is to be hoped that other teams, backed by well-resourced sponsors, will be able to join the fray and further raise the profile of triathlon.
