The World Triathlon Membership Services and Development Meeting was held in Sanxenxo, Spain, on 25 September, with updates provided across membership services, National Federation development, education, safeguarding, athlete support and SheLovesTri female initiatives. The meeting provided National Federations with an overview of current programmes and development priorities for the new Olympic period.
Membership Services and National Federation Survey
The meeting began with an update on the latest National Federation (NF) Survey, which has been redeveloped with a new submission tool, data engine and reporting system. The results are now published on a dedicated online platform: nf-survey.triathlon.org.
The NF Survey is World Triathlon's annual health check of its National Federations. It assesses each NF across eight areas: Administration, Management and Governance; Gender Equity; Anti-Doping; Development; Athletes; Coaches; Technical Officials and Events; and Marketing, Media and Communications. Each NF is also placed in one of six NF Groups, from Group 1 (Established NF) to Group 5 (Developed, High Performance), based on its total score out of 133 points. In 2025, 154 National Federations completed the survey, representing 91.1% of the membership, with 149 National Federations in good standing with World Triathlon.
Saudi Arabia was the most improved federation, recording a 46% increase in its overall development assessment score in the 2025 NF Survey, the largest percentage improvement among all NF's. The federation moved from Group 2 to Group 3B by aligning its strategy and key performance indicators with World Triathlon's development framework and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee's priorities.
Membership Services Initiatives | SheLovesTri, TriCare and Team World Triathlon
Updates were provided on three World Triathlon initiatives: SheLovesTri, TRICare and Team World Triathlon. As part of SheLovesTri, NFs received an update on the study examining the status of female coaches in triathlon. The study provides information on women's participation and progression in coaching.
The TriCare safeguarding programme was developed in 2026 to support safe environments across triathlon and assist NFs with safeguarding. Team World Triathlon continues to provide support to athletes from developing NFs as the sport heads towards LA2028. The programme focuses on providing additional support and opportunities for athletes from NFs where access to high-performance resources is limited.
Education and Development
The Education and Development update covered coaching, Technical Officials and Para triathlon. For coaches, World Triathlon outlined additional education opportunities, including new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses, female coaching initiatives and work supporting athletes moving into coaching.
Technical Officials education has seen an increased course roll-out during the new Olympic period, alongside a revised Event Organisers Manual (EOM), which sets out requirements and guidance for organising World Triathlon events. In Para Triathlon, 2026 saw the roll-out of the Para Athlete Grant, providing support to athletes and their NFs for Paralympic potential.
Female Coaching Status Study Update
Further discussion focused on female initiatives and the Female Coaching Status Study. The study, which can be found here, examines the current position of women within triathlon coaching, including participation and progression through the coaching pathway.
The findings will contribute to World Triathlon's work with NFs on opportunities for women in coaching. The meeting also included an update on research being undertaken with Brunel University London in relation to female initiatives. Discussions centred on what is needed to further improve opportunities for women in triathlon and how success in this area of the sport can be measured.
The presentation was delivered by Dr Morten Schmidt, Global Director of Programmes and Grants at the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, and Dr Tarryn Godfrey, Sport for Development Researcher and Department Director at Brunel University London. They provided insights into the work completed to date and the development of future opportunities. The research provides additional evidence for World Triathlon's work on female participation and development and will contribute to the ongoing development of initiatives in this area.
Meeting Resources
For those who were unable to attend, the presentation and meeting recordings are available below:
