World Triathlon is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mr Winston D. C. Crowther, President of the Sierra Leone Triathlon Association, who died on Thursday 8 January 2026. His loss is felt across the entire triathlon community in Sierra Leone, throughout Africa and within World Triathlon’s global family.

Mr Crowther was a true pioneer for the sport in his country. Quite simply, triathlon in Sierra Leone would not exist without his leadership, vision, passion and integrity. As President of the Sierra Leone Triathlon Association, he worked tirelessly to build the sport from the ground up, creating opportunities for athletes and officials and ensuring that Sierra Leone had a proud place on the international triathlon map. 

His influence extended well beyond his national borders. Mr Crowther was an active and highly respected member of Africa Triathlon and World Triathlon, always ready to contribute ideas, listen to others and support the development of triathlon across the continent. In October 2025, at the World Triathlon Congress in Wollongong, he was elected to the World Triathlon Women’s Committee, bringing to the role a strong voice for inclusion, fairness and increased opportunities for women and girls in sport.

“The legacy Winston leaves behind is evident in the athletes he inspired, the administrators he mentored and the institutions he helped to strengthen,” said World Triathlon President Antonio F. Arimany. “For all of us, he will be remembered as a humble, collaborative and principled leader whose service to sport was meaningful, impactful and widely appreciated. On behalf of World Triathlon, I extend our deepest sympathies to his family, to the Sierra Leone Triathlon Association, to Africa Triathlon and to all those whose lives he touched.”

World Triathlon joins the Sierra Leone and African sporting communities in mourning the loss of Mr Crowther and honouring his remarkable contribution to triathlon. May his soul rest in peace, and may his memory live on in the continued growth of the sport in Sierra Leone, in Africa and around the world.