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Long Distance Professional Licence

Athletes who wish to race as elite athletes in Ironman, Challenge Triathlon, PTO and other long or middle distance triathlon events may be asked by the race organisers for an Elite / Professional Race Licence. 

British Triathlon will issue a Professional (Pro) Licence letter to verify an athlete’s pro status to athletes who are successful in achieving the criteria detailed in the current British Triathlon Professional License policy below. Athletes can send this letter to race organisers when entering a race in the professional/elite field.

If athletes are found to be entering Ironman, Ironman 70.3,Challenge or PTO races as a professional without having first been issued a letter from the British Triathlon they may be ineligible to compete in pro/elite fields for the following 12 months. 

This criteria does not relate to long/middle distance World Triathlon or Europe Triathlon events, the selection policies for which can be found on the British Triathlon website HERE

 
 
Athletes will be eligible to apply for professional/elite status if they meet all of the following criteria;

1.1 To be considered for a Professional License, athletes must:

a. Be a member in good standing of a Home Nation Triathlon Association which is a member of the BTF and eligible to represent Great Britain in international competitions under the BTF eligibility rules;

b. Have completed the UKAD (anti-doping) Compete Clean+ e-learning course within 2 years prior to application, and submitted the certificate of completion to multisport@britishtriathlon.org ;

c. Not be serving a period of ineligibility as a result of an anti-doping rule violation;

 

How to apply

Please click HERE to read the 2024 British Triathlon Professional License policy 

Please click HERE to apply for a 2024 Professional Licence.

 

 

FAQs
How do I race in the PTO Elite T100 races?

Any British athlete who already holds an elite Professional Licence from British Triathlon may nominate themselves to compete in a PTO T100 race.

Before nominating themselves to compete, athletes MUST complete the following steps

  • Medical Screening  - Send the completed World Triathlon PPE Screening forms to British Triathlon. No nominations will be added to the World Triathlon website unless British Triathlon has received the completed medical forms. To access the forms, click here and expand the World Triathlon PPE Screening Requirements section. Download the forms and once completed send them to multisportt@britishtriathlon.org. Forms are valid for 2 years after the date of completion.
  • Nominate - Email multisport@britishtriathlon.org with your full name, BTF membership number and the race which you wish to compete in. 
  • Wait list - British Triathlon will then enter all Pro Licence holders who have nominated themselves for the event
  • Start list - The PTO will chose who to select to compete in the race. Please note that British Triathlon does not select athletes to compete in T100 races. 
  • Upload anti-doping certificate - Athletes who are selected to compete will be required to upload their Compete Clean + UKAD certificate to the World Triathlon website. Athletes can upload their certificates by creating an account in the World Triathlon Education and Knowledge Hub and upload their course certificate by following the instructions HERE.
  • Please click the following link to read the T100 TRIATHLON WORLD TOUR QUALIFICATION CRITERIA.
  • Please click here to go to the T100 website.

 

How do I apply for a Professional Triathlete Status Letter?

  • Send your UKAD Clean Sport+ certificate to multisport@britishtriathlon.org before you complete the Pro Status request form. 
  • Complete the Pro Status request form in the document linked above.

 

When can I re-apply for a Professional Triathlete Status Letter?

Application open at the start of January each year. Returning Pro Status athletes can use a link to their PTO ranking page instead of listing their race results. 

 

How long does a Professional Triathlete Status Letter take to process and send out?

Letters are sent out via email and can take up to 2 weeks to process however if athletes need a letter sent out urgently please email multisport@britishtriathlon.org.

 

Which Home Nations membership do I need to compete in Ironman and Challenge Elite waves?

Athletes are advised to hold an Ultimate Home Nations membership when competing in events outside the UK. This is because the Core membership has different levels of public liability insurance cover compared to the Ultimate membership and athletes should be aware of the differences.

Athletes may hold a Core or Ultimate membership when applying for a pro status letter. It is the athletes responsibility to ensure both them and their kit is comprehensively insured to race both in the UK and outside the UK.

Click here to find out more about membership packages.

 

If I don't meet the criteria can I still apply?

If you don't meet the criteria a letter will not be issued so please do not apply.

 

If I have held a professional status letter the year before and I have been injured or ill over the past year and haven't been able to compete can I still have a pro-triathlete letter?

Returning pro-triathletes who do not meet the criteria for a letter through illness/injury and who have not been able to compete for the previous 12 months should read the criteria and complete the form.

 

Do I get GBR kit if I am issued with a pro-triathlete letter?

There is no allocation of GBR kit for athletes who hold pro-triathlete status

 

Where can I find about more about Clean Sport and Anti-Doping?

British Triathlon Clean Sport webpages

UK Anti-Doping webpages

WADA website

Prohibited list

 

Is there any funding available for elite/professional athletes in the UK from British Triathlon?

The National Lottery funding that British Triathlon receive is ring fenced by the respective funding partners, UK Sport and Sport England, specifically for use in Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and for grassroots participation. Whilst we have aspirations to offer greater support in the future, we do not currently have access to alternative funding streams to provide financial resource to the long-distance community.

 

How do athletes get elite/professional race starts at Ironman and Challenge events?

Click here for Challenge pro licence information.

Click here for Ironman pro licence information. 

 

What provision is there for women returning to professional racing after pregnancy.

In order to facilitate mothers returning to the sport, current and previous female Professional License holders who take, or are planning to take, a break from the sport due to childbirth will be automatically granted a new Professional License until the child turns two.

 

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