Makes me want to race ITU just to get banned

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Team Zoot So Cal

Funny, the thought that the ITU would be beholden to special interests never occurred to me. Naive, I guess. And sad.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Gotta “clean up” the races before worlds in the Middle East.

I get where they’re coming from, as stupid as it is. They’re not a big enough organization to piss off potential host countries and sponsors so they end up doing stuff like this. Even if a lot of people are going to disagree with it.

ITU have some right backward ideas in their rules at times.

Never forgetting their are another self serving sports administration based in Switzerland... a near-police-state (really !) and still home to lots of nazi stolen gold that they REALLY don't like anyine to mention.

Morals ? Not an ounce of it.

At least with WTC we all know their are in it to make money, they are a business and don't hide that.

BAN! DQ! BURN! Rainbows around them legs!

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Endurance coach | Physiotherapist (primary care) | Bikefitter | Swede

Hey, I think more than gold there is a lot of stolen/dirty money that made its way into the Swiss banking system over time, which allows for a strong financial platform that helps to underpin a strong economy, but that's a different story entirely.

Why did ITU have to do this?

Who knows? Scrolling through the ITU race venues it covers lots of very different countries so it's hard to make anything other than a guess. Not making a direct link here but just as an example of how a very different culture can have very odd restrictions - Chinese media blurring ears. I guess the ITU may just of taken legal advice on global issues and taken very conservative advice. I used to work in releasing software for a global company and the legal advice given was crazy by any rational measure.

Stopping race pros waving a flag is one thing. I'd of thought there are age groupers with tattoos, let alone the ones who will take this as a challenge and make a point.

You gotta wonder how much pressure on the lTU from russia/ussr had to do with this, as that totalitarian country is totally and weirdly obsessed with gay people (and not in a good way ... )

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Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
DarkSpeedWorks.com.....Reviews.....Insta.....Facebook
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How many ITU athletes were even actively doing this in the first place? Is this now going to turn into a Streisand effect situation?

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

It has not banned rainbow flags in particular. “Athletes will avoid displaying any kind of demonstration of political, religious, sexual orientation or racial propaganda.”

This means rainbow flags, but also homophobic flags, nazi flags, Ku Klux Klan flags, etc. Personally I think it makes sense.

You can't just say “Athletes will avoid displaying any kind of demonstration of political, religious, sexual orientation or racial propaganda, except for rainbow flags".

Unless somebody has insight I don't see why it was done to ban rainbow flags in particular.

Hmm. No religious propoganda either. I wonder what they’ll be looking for? And what if religious symbols are part of national flag?

Seems like no limits on any corporate propoganda.

Yeah, this part confuses me... Are we sure the author of that article wasn't making their own interpretation? I would think the ITU knows what rainbow bands on the uniform means. Perhaps the author didn't know?

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

The ITU knows the difference and knows a world championship rainbow from a pride rainbow.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

This guy would be in trouble.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

this was a breathtakingly stupid move. who was going to run down the finish chute in abu dhabi waiving a rainbow flag? but now? after this? i don't know how many rainbow top tube stickers the ITU just sold, but i know they just sold one to me.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Guess I can't bring my Pineland flag.

Viva la Pineland!

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I'm gay for Vincent Luis!!!

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

This sort of thing is exactly what I was thinking.
Not particularly Rooney (as he can get himself into trouble for many other things all by himself) but any athlete with a cross on a chain. St Christopher ? Cresent ? Elephant based god in a gold ring. Too much Orange in a kit. Etc.


As to WHY... almost aleays its related to who's paying the dirty lucre.

That's fucked up. It also means that you can't race ITU if you wear any kind of cross, half moon, yinyang and what else. Doubt it they'll dq anyone for that though. What about Sanders (there he is), doesn't he have a big cross tattooed? I guess he will never ever have ITU then. Etc..

I seem to remember Dan wrote a piece recently about growing triathlon by stimulating a diverse group of participants, which definitely is much needed. Guess ITU begs to differ. Selectively.

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NO

Guess I’m in trouble if I qualify for World team again.... why.... and what in gay hell??

https://www.newsobserver.com/...article81403757.html

that article about you? you're rainbow tutu man?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

If you read the detail this is not against the rainbow flag in particular but against any religious, political or sexual symbols.

I actually am in rainbow colors and rainbow Mohawk because my foundation is named Dream In Color and it had nothing to do with my sexuality or representing gay rights. I race to raise money for people fighting cancer and AIDS. It is society that made it a political issue, especially in my state of NC, so I found myself explaining more about HB2 and gay rights and educating folks about both issues and about my foundation. I don’t mind educating people because it is needed and I do happen to be gay, but my intent of the rainbow colors was for the name Dream In COLOR.
I actually cut the Mohawk off for a little break this winter and plan on growing it back. I was going to change up colors to avoid people mistaking it for a gay rights statement, now after seeing that ITU thinks this is okay, I will go back to rainbow and WILL also use it again this year to educate people that discrimination is wrong. So... what do they decide to do if I cross finish line at an ITU event or qualify to represent a Team USA at Worlds?.... I’ll keep you posted!
Bit of advice... if you allow or support discrimination against anyone, then they are coming for you next...

The people who want to wear rainbow flags on their race kit are just as weirdly obsessed with gay people, but on the opposite side of the equation. I would characterize it as "good" or "bad", just completely irrelevant and obtuse to an ITU triathlon.

People are completely misrepresenting this. Rainbow flags, "Saturdays are for the boys" flags (not an gay innuendo;), Democrate flags, MAGA flags, confederate flags, (any flag but your own country) are not allowed on ITU race kits. All they are doing is reinforcing an existing rule that they were looking the other way on, and it is a completely reasonable one that these are athletic events not political protests or sex parties.