World Triathlon

As we start to wrap up the 2023 year, the highlights from November include -
-The sixth edition of the Korean Coaching Project. With 32 coaches from 16 countries across Asia and Oceania attending five days of intensive theoretical and practical learning in Seoul’s prestigious Olympic Park.  Both Level 1 and Level 2 coaching courses were conducted to continue the development and further growth of coaches in the regions. 
- In response to the continually changing performance model in the sport of Triathlon, a new online course was launched - the Rest & Recovery CPD. The course, delivered by Lorena Torres Ronda (ESP) and facilitated by Vicent Beltran (ESP) provided over 100 coaches the most up to date and detailed recovery strategies coaches and athletes need to adopt as our sport moves from a pure endurance single day event to one that requires athletes to perform at a world class level over several events and days at major games and championships.
- November saw two more Level 1 coaching courses delivered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and La Paz, Bolivia and 3 ATOEP Level 1 Courses for TOs in Korea, Austria and Spain.
- Three Technical Officials seminars were delivered in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Saly, Senegal, and Honiara in the Solomon Islands. The Honiara course was vital to the Pacific Games Triathlon hosted by the Solomon Islands. One of the critical elements to conducting a safe and fair race for these games was the Technical Officials Education. Leading up to the Games, Solomon Triathlon had no certified technical officials - so the success of this course was vital.
- With the support of World Triathlon global partner ASICS, a camp was held in Koper, Slovenia with a focus on athlete testing and bench marking. It is expected these camps will help develop and increase the knowledge of athletes and coaches regarding performance requirements into the future.
- As the conclusion of 2023 approaches, all member National Federations and Associate Members, including the Continental Confederations, are invited to participate in the last NF Open Hours for 2023 on December 13 and 14 (registration link below). These sessions will serve as a platform to collectively celebrate our common achievements, fostering a sense of unity and collaboration within the worldwide Triathlon community.

COACH EDUCATION

Korea Triathlon - World Triathlon Coaching Education Project returned to the Olympic City of Seoul

The sixth edition of the Korea Triathlon Federation - World Triathlon Coach Education Programme saw 32 coaches from 16 countries from Asia and Oceania attending five days of intensive theoretical and practical learning in Seoul’s prestigious Olympic Park. Facilities of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games were the perfect inspirational environment for participants to learn from a world class Coach Facilitator team, including two-time World Champion and World Number one Emma Carney (AUS), three-time Olympian Fenella Ng (HKG), Eugene Lee (SGP) and Tomas Perucca (ARG).
Since the 2017 launch of the programme, a total of 292 coaches from 64 developing (ODA recipient) countries and from Korea were certified as Level 1 or Level 2 Triathlon Coaches thanks to the generous funding and continued support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and the tireless and flawless organisation of the Korea Triathlon Federation.

This year’s candidates are already working on their post-course assignments back in their home countries. Their takeaways hopefully will also include new friendships and an excellent international coaching network they can rely on in the future.

Remarkable Rest & Recovery CPD Course Introduction - World Triathlon Development

The performance model is continually changing as a result of new race formats. This can be simply illustrated through the World Triathlon World Champion title, which has moved from a one-off performance to now being awarded at the conclusion of a series of WTCS competitions stretching from March to September.  The emergence of Super League has brought race formats requiring athletes to perform multiple times in a day and consecutive days.

Since the introduction of the individual and mixed team relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, athletes and coaches have had to develop unique recovery plans in order to compete at their best in pursuit of Olympic Gold in the individual and mixed team relay events only a few days apart.

Recovery strategies should be evaluated and individualised due to the variance in how each individual responds to various approaches. The recovery status of the athletes should be evaluated and tracked by the coaches in a manner similar to how they measure and monitor the training load.

This year’s candidates are already working on their post-course assignments back in their home countries. Their takeaways hopefully will also include new friendships and an excellent international coaching network they can rely on in the future.

In order to provide education on the best practice of rest and recovery, World Triathlon Development and Education were privileged to have Lorena Torres-Ronda, PhD conduct a 4-week webinar for coaches to further develop their knowledge on recovery and rest techniques through this CPD course.

Lorena Torres Ronda (ESP) - keynote speaker
“We successfully finished the Word Triathlon Rest and Recovery CPD course last week. Over the duration of four days, we have seen everything from the fundamentals of rehabilitation to the newest and most innovative techniques and technologies available in the field of sport recovery. The experience has been highly fulfilling, as evidenced by the enthusiastic engagement and commitment of the participants, both in the in-person sessions and course materials. I am delighted with the outcome, as I had hoped to give participants tools that would be useful in their training environments and scientific foundations. We hope to build on this success in upcoming editions with overwhelmingly positive feedback received so far.”

Vicent Beltran Alcala (ESP)  - project lead World Triathlon
“Rest and Recovery are a fundamental pillar for sports performance with positive physiological and psychological effects. Sleep and rest are crucial for the processes that lead to muscle growth and tissue healing. We have emphasised numerous times throughout the course how important it is to behave appropriately and not just recognise the detrimental effects of not getting enough sleep and recuperation. Having such a wonderful subject-matter expert as Lorena on board for this course has been a pleasure.“

Bachir Boutros Nasr (LBN)   
“Thank you for allowing us to learn more about rest and recovery. As for whether I will change my coaching practices, I certainly will not change them because rest is part of my training protocol, but I will definitely add and introduce more rest and recovery protocols to my athletes. It is great to keep informing and educating us that triathlon is a growing sport, and the more we learn and get certifications, the more the sport will grow, especially in the Middle East, where I am located. ”

Natasha Kelly (IRL)   
“This course has equipped me with a deeper understanding of specific protocols. I feel more confident in explaining and perceiving recovery methods, especially concerning the timing and how specific methods interact/impact training the next day. Having the material available on the educational hub is a great asset to any coach as we can revert and upskill or seek clarity on any aspect of the content covered in the course. The visual aids were very helpful and clear. An excellent example of this is the recovery pyramid I have now printed for my office.“

Tim Maynard (GBR)   
“The content from the course has helped me consider the priorities/ordering and logic behind recovery strategies I will use personally and with my relevant athletes.”

Olympic Solidarity support boosts coaches’ education in Mongolia and Bolivia

The Mongolia Triathlon worked closely with its National Olympic Committee for months before the 2023 Ulaanbaatar OS - World Triathlon Coaches Level 1 Course, which took place in Ulaanbaatar from 6 to 10 November. The collaboration between the National Olympic Committee and the National Federation is crucial before its application reaches the IOC Olympic Solidarity Entourage Unit and World Triathlon. World Triathlon thanks the intense work and project leadership of Byambaa Tsagaanbaatar, Secretary General.

Anthony Lozada (PHI) and Franz Studer (RSA) worked with four female and eight male Level 1 coach candidates over five days in a face-to-face environment to improve and put into practice the e-learning knowledge from pre-course studies.

“The coaches were all eager to learn and they were proactivr during the entire course. Only 30% of the participants could speak English but the majority of them could understand English. This is why we had productive discussions in the lecture room. It was also a huge help that we had a very good, effective and patient translator. The translation was accurate because the translator was also a coach. The course is one for the books for me. It was the first time that I was able to experience - 23 degrees freezing temperature and also the first time I was given a prestigious NOC award for doing what I love the most, which is facilitating the World Triathlon. This is why I want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.”  Anthony Joseph Lozada (PHI) World Triathlon Coach Facilitator.

Bolivia trained a new generation of Level 1 Coaches granted by Olympic Solidarity

Bolivia Triathlon hosted the 2023 La Paz OS-World Triathlon Coaches Level 1 Course in November which was the second edition of the World Triathlon Development and Education blended approach (Paraguay hosted the first blended course in August).  This format delivers a Level 1 coaching course in a format of five week of online learning followed by a three day intensive face-to-face course with practical implications. The course was delivered by Rodrigo Milazzo (BRA) and Allan Larios (CRC) in the Bolivian capital, La Paz. Eight female and ten male participants took part.

Allan Larios (CRC), World Triathlon Coach Facilitator, who became a certified facilitator this spring and this course was his first delivery.
“For me it has been a wonderful and very rewarding experience as a facilitator to be able to share knowledge with coaches from all over Bolivia and to be able to motivate them to continue working for the future of triathlon in their country. The kind way in which they have treated me, their willingness to work and the love they gave us makes our work easier.”

ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT

Focusing On Testing & Bench marking

Koper, a Slovenian city at the Adriatic Sea hosted the second testing and benchmarking camp in Europe using the additional 10,000 USD grant offered by the World Triathlon Global Development Partner, ASICS. Europe Triathlon conducted a similar project earlier this year with the support and expertise of the University of Ljubljana. This camp offered an extra opportunity for those who could not attend in the spring. The camp was managed by Milos Petelin (SLO) and Ljudmila Medan (SRB).

TECHNICAL OFFICIAL EDUCATION

Saudi’s secret: consistency, commitment and hard work

The Saudi Triathlon Federation, led by Ali Magboul, President and Ms Jude JamJoom Secretary General reached another milestone by hosting an Asian Triathlon Championships,  in Al-Khobar for the first time. Since 2021 the NF has trained a significant number of Technical Officials to be ready to host a continental event and many more. This year’s 2023 Al-Khobar World Triathlon Technical Officials Level 1 Seminar was led by Peter Chua (SGP) and Duncan Hough (GBR).

“It was great to draw so many people out from more remote countries like Syria and Kyrgyzstan and they were all made to feel so welcome and supported by the Saudi hosts, and everyone came together as one team for the love of triathlon. Firas did a great job as the regional representative as always and this passed all the way through the seminar that everyone had everything they needed and had nothing but a positive experience,” said Duncan Hough, World Triathlon TO Facilitator.

“The support and motivation from our facilitators were priceless! I am new to triathlon, but they made it so easy to understand,” said Hana Ajabnoor, participant.

“As a coach, I have so much more knowledge now. The seminar helped me understand more about the rules and regulations. This will help me train my athletes in everything related to their triathlon journey.” said Mohammed Adawi, participant.

“It is very interesting to see the other side of triathlon. It is very dynamic and full of details,” said Barry Keet, participant.

“Seeing a field of play with over 60 TOs from last year and this year was a highlight indeed,” said Firas Al-Hmood, Asia Triathlon Development Coordinator.

Senegal Technical Officials are one step closer to the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games

World Triathlon and Africa Triathlon, with a joint effort with the Senegal Triathlon Federation and the continuous support of the French Triathlon Federation, put in place Technical Officials and Event Organisers development pathway aimed towards the Youth Olympic Games hosted by the Senegalese Capital in 2026. This year’s 2023 Saly World Triathlon Technical Officials Level 1 Seminar is built on the fundamentals of last year’s community educational programme. The seminar under Dominique Frizza’s (FRA) facilitation took place in Saly, which is supposed to host the triathlon events of the Games.

Rick Fulton (ZIM), Africa Triathlon Development Coordinator
“The continued support for Senegal ahead of the YOG in 2026 is not only important to the Senegal NF but to the entire continent of Africa as they host these Games for the first time.”

Solomon hosted a successful Pacific Games
Despite all the challenges around hosting the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara (SOL), triathlon events were successfully delivered. One of the critical elements to conducting a safe and fair race is the Technical Officials Education. Leading up to the Games, Solomon Triathlon had no certified technical officials. After completing the online Community Seminar, eight L1 candidates from four Pacific nations (Solomon, Fiji, PNG, Tahiti)  gathered for a two-day course just before the Games. World Triathlon TO Facilitator Jacqui Kenny (AUS)  guided them through the theoretical and practical sessions to familiarise them with “essential” blue carper operations and enable them to assist the Technical Delegate Stephen Damien (PNG).

Jacqui Kenny (AUS) World Triathlon TO Facilitator
“It was a fantastic opportunity to facilitate the first ever World Triathlon Level 1 course in Honiara, Solomon Islands as a lead into the 2023 Pacific Games.  We had a great group of local volunteers completing their course to build up to a full Level 1 in the future – Boris, Wilfred, Maxon and Rocky, as well as Arnaud from Tahiti and Moreen from Fiji.  We had 3 participants from the other islands – Trisa from Fiji, and Lynette and Terence from PNG. I can happily say all participants had a great time on the course and rolled seamlessly into the event, with the registration and athletes’ briefing scheduled just after the finish of Day 2 of the course.  There was plenty of opportunity for practical learning on the pool deck when the athletes trained and happily practised their starts for their events.  All three completed their exam successfully, and all nine worked tirelessly on the Pacific Games for the rest of the week.  I am so blessed to have had Stephen Damien (TD), Peter Aldridge (ATD) and Cathi Davey (HR) on site a lot of the time and contributing their knowledge and insights to the group while preparing them for the upcoming events. I wish them all every success, and I look forward to supporting their development and journey as officials through further training and our mentor programme.  I also look forward to working with them again in the 2023 -2024 Oceania season.”

Stephen Damian (PNG) , 2023 Honiara Pacific Games, Technical Delegate
“I also want to add that having the TO workshop close to the Pacific Games Triathlon event meant the TOs retained knowledge and were able to utilise these skills immediately after. Having our Senior Technical Team in Cathi Davey (NZ) and Peter Aldridge (AUS) and I providing guidance and mentoring support was hugely beneficial over the three days of competition. I wouldn’t have asked for a better TO team especially with the hectic competition schedule with heats and grand finals.  Jacqui did a tremendous job in getting the TO team for the roster.”

ATOEP Level 1 Courses in Korea, Austria and Spain

World Triathlon has 17 National Federations with accredited Technical Officials (TOs) Education Programme (ATOEP). Three of them - Korea, Austria and Spain organised a Level 1 course in November to increase the number of available and skilled TOs for their events.

NATIONAL FEDERATION SERVICES

Let’s e-meet for a last time before the year ends

World Triathlon invites all member National Federations and Associate Members, including the Continental Confederations, to attend the last NF Open Hours of the year on 13 and 14 December. The last sessions in 2023 will be focusing on updates since our last meeting and remarkable achievements of the year.

Please register for the sessions and share your extraordinary moments with us:
Wednesday, 13 December, at 9:30 CET (English-French)
Thursday, 14 December at 16:30 CET (English-Spanish)

More about NF Open Hours: NFs Open Hours • World Triathlon

Stay updated on World Triathlon National Federation Services & Development
Contact us at development@triathlon.org or federations@triathlon.org