Triathlon will take a shot at the mainstream. And you know what? It might just make it, reports Guardian newspaper journalist Sean Ingle in Beijing.
According to Ingle, the thrilling men’s Olympic triathlon race made for a perfect advert for the sport. With the International Triathlon Union (ITU) promising a ‘worldwide shake-up’ at a post Olympic media announcement in Beijing, the tide is turning for triathlon.
When speaking with the Guardian, Brian Mahony, the ITU’s Director of Media, was keeping his cards close to his chest. Although he did confirm that a ‘super series’ or series of races in the world’s major cities was in the pipeline. “We have several TV companies on board,” Mahony added. The aim is to generate momentum, with enough money to persuade the best athletes to compete alongside competitions for amateurs and newcomers alike.
According to Ingle at the Guardian, the Olympic tri race organisers ‘had been clever, of course, like they have been for much of these Games. The specially-built course was hilly and technical enough to test the athletes, but – unlike in many triathlons – the short laps also ensured the triathletes were under our noses every 10 minutes or so.’
Ingle believes that for triathlon to progress, it will have to get two things right. Firstly, it will need to make us care, connect with and relate to the people and pictures we see on our screens. Triathlon’s human stories about tough training regimes, commitment, determination and sacrifice to the sport should help make this possible.
A second, harder task, Ingle believes, is to entertain mainstream TV audiences. The thrashing maelstrom in the swim may not make great TV. Use of GPS chips to track competitor positions could help engage the TV consumer. Meanwhile, Ingle suggests placing cameras on competitors’ bikes, alongside transmitters in their heart rate monitors.
Ingle recognises that if Formula 1 can sustain interest over two hours, then triathlon should likewise keep the viewer engaged. When some of these suggestions were put to Mahony at the ITU, he replied: “We’re way ahead of you – we’re going to do all that and much more.”
Cited by many as ‘the fastest growing sport’, the underlying trends are going in the right direction. Up until 1989, triathlon had no world governing body. Five years later triathlon was awarded Olympic status. Ingle cites a kinetic energy underpinning the popularity of the sport, ‘a momentum that’s pushing triathlon onwards and upwards, and a thriving online community. But, more essential still, the sport is cool. Tell anyone you’re doing a marathon and they’ll be impressed, tell anyone you’re doing a triathlon and they’ll be intrigued. Enough to make them turn on their TVs? We’ll find out soon enough.’
