I’m a 21 y/o pro triathlete with aspirations of qualifying for the Olympics. I’m also a dual citizen, USA/Iran. Currently racing for USA.
Now my question is if I race for USA and get enough points to qualify for the Olympics, would I be able to change the country I represent to Iran. Realistically team USA is extremely competitive, and there is a lot of politics involved in who they choose to compete for them, and my chances of representing USA would be very slim.
So would I be able to change the country I represent for, or should I represent Iran right now as as I try to get enough points, because I wouldn’t be able to change it in the future?
no you could not change
you cant change flag once the new oly cycle has started and you raced for another fed int that oly cycle . ie if your first race in this cycle is for usa you can not change flag in this cycle and start for another fed .
if you want more info google max stapley flag change or something in the lines of that.
Kenji Nener changed federations; iirc there is a period of time where you have to be out of competition - you can listen to his podcast here Kenji Nener - Chasing the Burn - Apple Podcasts
USA will have enough world triathlon points to have multipe slots on the start line in the Olympics, that others can earn for USA and you can take a chance and win a slot. Iran may not have enough points, so some athletes have to go and earn Iran points to have a starting slot at the Olympics. So it seems your path to the Olympics with Iran is uncertain because Iran may not have enough points and path with USA is certain because more good athletes than slots.
Also does Iran not force you to renounce citizenship anyway if you take the citizenship of another country? Plus if you have not done your Iranian military service that may get in the way of the entire story.
I’m assuming you haven’t raced a World Triathlon race since the Olympics.
Don’t race again, until you’ve figured this out. Full stop.
If you want a shot, talk to the Iranian Triathlon Federation, and ask them to make it work.
Or stick with the USA, get fast, and give yourself a shot.
It’s a lot easier to qualify from a small (Triathlon) country than a big (Triathlon) country with multiple contenders.
You should still be able to switch federations and proceed, as long as you haven’t raced in the last month.
If you have raced recently, still ask the Iranian Federation, and see what they can do. But don’t hold your breathe.
Thanks for the response, i will google max stapely.
Thanks! I will listen to it while training lol!
Thanks for the response! nope Iran doesn’t force you to do that, i was born a dual citizen and had no problems. Also i don’t have to do military service yet because I’m a student.
Currently I’m about a 18:30 shape, I don’t have a swim background and have been focusing all my attention on it for the last year and made steady progress. I’m currently swimming 50-60 k yards per week
That makes it tough for you, but you are doing the right thing to focus most of your energies in the pool for now. Until you get to around that 17 flat time, pretty meaningless to chase ITU races. You will always be chasing a race up ahead that you only see later after its over. Good luck, some make that leap in the pool in a couple years from where you are at, so go for it while you can…
Go onto the World Triathlon website and get the documentation for LA qualification. The most important aspect for your situation is what is referred to as the “Olympic Window”.
You can only race for one country during this close to 2 year process of qualification. Max Stapley raced for AUS on the 1st day of the qualification period which excluded him from racing when he switched to GBR.
You don’t mention your age and whether you have raced internationally having been “selected” to race by US Tri. Have you raced Conti Cup or World Cup? If you have and you are not racing as a senior there are slightly different rules.
Finally, having an eligibility to race for another federation and that federation selecting you are completely different matters. You need to know what their selection policy is. Either way if you do switch you will have to spend a period of time racing as an ITU athlete without affiliation to either country.
c3 the whole qualifiaction periode is 2 years but when you do flag change you are entered to races by the federation you are moving to.
you have to find that document for 2028
so for paris if you had not initiated your change of federation before may 27th 2022
you were not eligible.
so in theory this means you have almost 20 month time to decide, at the same time i would not leave it last minute lol and this is based on the rules for paris but i would they they are unlikely to change since they were changed for the paris cycle .
You spend a period in between the two countries when you switch as an ITU athlete and not representing either country. I think it is 6 months.
If you look on this start list you will see Hollie Elliot has a country of TRI. She is in the process of switching from GBR to IRL but she can’t race for Ireland immediately hence not representing either country.
yes but it is triathlon ireland entering her into the races , not world triathlon , while she races under itu flag .
its 12 month you stay with itu flag but the federation you are moving to enters you into the races . henceforth you are racing for the same federation .
so as long as someone races one day before the 2 year qualification window starts under an world tri flag they are good as they dont move federations then.
or lets say that was the paris rule so to be sure you need to know the LA rules
world triathlon competition rules 2.5 p
p.) Athletes who are competing under the World Triathlon flag will be entered in the
competition by the National Federation the athlete is moving to. They will compete with
the same rights as any other athlete in terms of awards, prizes and points.