The Europe Triathlon Presidents’ Conference took place on Friday, 12 June, in Tarragona, Spain, bringing together representatives from well over 20 National Federations for a day of discussion centred on the future development of triathlon across Europe.
The conference was opened by Europe Triathlon President Marc D’hooge, who welcomed delegates to Tarragona and introduced newly elected National Federation presidents to the Europe Triathlon community.
Joining the conference were several distinguished guests, including Abel García Marín, Secretary General of Sports for the Generalitat de Catalunya; Mario Soler Santos, Vice Mayor of the City of Tarragona; and Jose Hidalgo, President of the Spanish Triathlon Federation and Vice President of the Spanish Olympic Committee.
Abel García Marín welcomed delegates to Catalonia and expressed his pleasure at hosting the Europe Triathlon Championships in Tarragona, while Vice Mayor Mario Soler Santos highlighted the city’s pride in staging the event and recognised the efforts of both the Spanish Federation and the Local Organising Committee in delivering a successful championship.
Jose Hidalgo reaffirmed the Spanish Federation’s commitment to the continued growth of triathlon and underlined Spain’s prominent role on the Europe Triathlon calendar, hosting more events than any other nation in 2026. He thanked the attending National Federations for their support and wished all athletes competing in Tarragona the very best for the championship weekend.
Europe Triathlon Treasurer Kaisa Tamminen presented an update on the organisation’s financial operations, outlining the successful implementation of the Procountor financial management system. The transition has strengthened financial oversight and improved operational efficiency, providing enhanced monitoring of income and expenditure across the organisation.
Sustainability was also a key topic of discussion. Europe Triathlon Vice President Alan Ryan and Executive Board Member Sara Heath presented the new World Triathlon Sustainability Strategy, highlighting opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of events while ensuring that sustainability initiatives remain practical and cost-effective for organisers.
National Federations were invited to participate in the Europe Triathlon Sustainability Committee as part of a collaborative effort to develop a coordinated and realistic approach to delivering more sustainable events throughout the continent.
Chair of the Race Commission Herwig Grabner provided an overview of the 2026 season, reflecting on the success of events already delivered and praising the professionalism and dedication of organisers across Europe. Looking ahead, he highlighted opportunities to further strengthen the Europe Cup circuit and increase engagement with junior athletes.
Valerie Maier, representing the Development Committee, updated delegates on a range of development projects currently underway, including the Technical Officials Education Programme taking place last week in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
The conference was also attended by World Triathlon President Antonio F. Arimany and World Triathlon Secretary General John Wyatt. During discussions with delegates, they outlined ongoing collaboration between World Triathlon and Europe Triathlon, reviewed the continued development of the international racing calendar and shared plans for the 2027 season.
Among the topics discussed was the evolving partnership with the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and the opportunities it presents for race development and calendar enhancement in the coming years. Both representatives expressed their appreciation to the Spanish Triathlon Federation for its hospitality and for hosting the 2026 Europe Triathlon Championships.
Attention then turned to the future event calendar, with Herwig Grabner presenting an update on the 2027 season and the bidding process for 2028 events. Delegates were informed of a growing level of interest from both existing and prospective hosts, with several new destinations exploring opportunities to stage future Europe Triathlon Championships.
The conference concluded with a presentation from Luxembourg Triathlon President Christian Krombach and National Administrative Director Michael Kunde, sharing a case study on the development of the Luxembourg Indoor Aquathlon. Their presentation highlighted the event’s growth in recent years and provided valuable insights ahead of the launch of the proposed launch of the Europe Triathlon Winter Indoor Tour, which would be scheduled to begin in October 2026.
The Presidents’ Conference once again provided an important platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and strategic planning, reinforcing the collective commitment of Europe’s National Federations to the continued growth and development of triathlon across the continent.