World Triathlon’s member national federations got together in person for the first time since 2019 on Sunday, November 27, as the 35th World Triathlon Congress concluded the 2022 Championship Finals in Abu Dhabi.
53 federations got together in the UAE, and 47 more joined online as the hybrid meeting delivered a collective look back over another busy year for the sport of triathlon.
World Triathlon President and IOC member Marisol Casado said “This was a moment we have all been looking forward to as we brought together our members for another in-depth look across the year, the first of the new strategic plan that will shape triathlon up to and beyond Paris 2024.
“The remarkable racing for the world titles that we were able to witness the last few days in Abu Dhabi crowned an outstanding year on and off the blue carpet and was symbolic of the hard work of our organisation, our members and our stakeholders.”
During the international congress, World Triathlon’s Executive Board decided to include an expiration period of two years on the Transgender Policy previously approved and… ‘to create a working group that will further study the medical studies to further develop the policy.’
The board approved a competition rules update that will be in place from January 1, 2023. Among the rules that will be implemented for the next season are regulations over the use of running shoes, to be adapted to follow the rules implemented by World Athletics.
A new maternity policy that will freeze the rankings of athletes from the moment they announce their pregnancy until the child is two years old, to facilitate their return to competition, will also come into effect.
The IOC’s experts on human rights Magali Martowicz and Madeleine Pape delivered a keynote speech to delegates, boosting awareness on the subject of transgender athletes in sport.
Development, the roles of the continental confederations and financial statements were all discussed. This included the approval of the 2023 budget, at the end of a year in which the athletes Bonus Pool prize money topped US$1million for the first time.
Congress also voted to approve two national federations as new members of World Triathlon, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Faroe Islands.
Marisol Casado added “After two days of Executive Board meetings, hearing the reports of all of our committees and commissions during congress and holding in-depth discussions with our membership, the strong health of triathlon has shone through.
“We end 2022 knowing that we continue to grow, innovate and develop the sport. New host cities and commercial partners continue to come on board, the schedule for 2023 is packed and as we increase the number of para athletes competing at Paris 2024, we held the first ever World Triathlon Para Mixed Relay to great success.”
