British Triathlon is the fourth national technical education programme that has achieved ITU Accreditation after Australia, Canada and Spain.

 

The announcement will enable British Triathlon to be able to deliver its own National Technical Officials training courses, increasing the number of officials working within the sport. 

 

With the London 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, the need for qualified officials will be even greater in a sport that continues to grow, with the number of race starts increasing by over 9% in 2011 from the previous year.

 

The accreditation is based on four key principles:

• The NFs’ Technical Official’s levels has to match at one point with the ITU Level 1 (NTO).

• The NFs’ Technical Official education programme has to include a three (3) level education pathway of their National Technical Officials (NTOs).

• The Competition Rules of the NF must match with the ITUs’ Competition Rules.

• The NF structure has to comply with ITU Constitution.

 

Howard Vine, Chair of British Triathlon’s Rules and Technical Committee was delighted with the news commenting: “This is a great achievement for the sport and is a significant step forward for triathlon’s officiating programme in the UK. This is a result of combined efforts from each of the Home Nations and their staff, including Triathlon England staff member, Ali Sibcy.

 

“Triathlon is a fast growing, modern and dynamic sport, and as a result the demand for technical officials continues to grow, ITU Accreditation enables British Triathlon to deliver high-quality officials to events not only in the UK but also in some of the world’s most iconic races including the 2013 ITU Triathlon World Series Grand Final in London next year.”