It is true, many athletes were funding themselves to races to get points to try qualify places for Paris. Its pretty f… up but doesnt surprise me. I can’t understand the thinking of blocking athletes from racing.
[Off topic] As I hoped I’d helped you understand, the part NGBs play in the T100 startlist protocol is minimal. Contracted athletes, then wildcards decided by a PTO/TRI combo panel and only last minute drawing from the ‘waitlist’.
Sfaik there is no instance of NGBs not forwarding athletes for inclusion on the waitlist and that waitlist is ordered in PTO World Ranking order: all very transparent.
Having said that someone on here must be able to share/explain the apparent gender discrimination actions of TriAus: seems extraordinary. Almost seems worth a thread of its own.
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its not minimal to be fair , i would say for ibiza it was 6 athletes that entered the race via waiting list. minimal would be 1 or 2 athletes. and with withdraws from waiting list atheltes it was at least 7 athletes that entered via waiting list for ibiza .
and even if it was minimal it should be 0 as there is 0 reason for it to be even minimal
to make it a bit topic relevant toyota stopped its sponsoring for the olympics citing the reason that the focus of the ioc and feds is too much on themsleves and not enough on athletes.
feds need less power and not more
Toyota ends sponsorship with 'political' Olympics - The Japan Times.
Katie Zafares has decided to retire, Supertri Toulouse is going to be her last race at the weekend.
Would have liked to have seen her have a crack at middle distance.
Great career though.
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Not surprised
Think she has been indicating this
So, when I heard about this issue, I tried to think about it from the federation perspective. I might be wrong here, and I’m not saying I’m in favor of the action, but putting myself in the central planner’s shoes (which I’m predispositioned to oppose already philosophically) …
If the federation is saving budget for later allocations and choses not to pay for athletes to go a particular set of races that don’t have an impact or return on the federations primary focus (let’s say it’s Olympic support/selection), then any athlete that jumps inline and choses to pay their own way puts everyone else in the system at a disadvantage.
An athlete with a rank that “earned” the slot but can not afford to go, and isn’t paid to go, gets sidelined, while another athlete who might be an inferior choice starts racking up points.
Now all that said, I don’t agree with this, but I assume something like this is the rationale? Either that, or when in doubt, blame liability. Even if an athlete pays there way, there’s a chance some legal, medical, etc liability comes into play that puts the federation on the hook and they don’t want to pay for it.
Ultimately, the federation wants to ensure they are influencing who is on the start line and giving self funded athletes a head start would affect that. It’s a little bizarre, though not surprising, because you’d think the federations would be happy to let some of these expenses get privatized so to speak.
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Have to say it’s a very interesting theory.
All the athletes have paid a hefty pro racer member fee which includes insurance, federation are off the hook there. There have always been many athletes paying their own way to races from Aus. Very few, (almost none) athletes are fully covered expenses wise. When their Olympics reserve isn’t even allowed to pay her way to a race there is something really messed up with the system. An up and comer who has minimal wtcs experience but beats their “top” athletes in the races she has raced, therefore is good enough to make reserve, the sensible thing would be to enter her in as many wtcs as possible moving forward to gain the necessary experience for future success. Plus the points are required to actually get starts later. If someone has more points than another whom they want to race they can, and do, sub them, so that argument is also void. I think this all stems from the lack of actual knowledge and understanding of elite triathlon and the WTCS system by the SELF IMPOSED powers that be. They have no idea how this could, would, and will effect athletes. Racing at the top pushes athletes to a different level than just training, it is needed for success. It is also required to try to win prize money and find sponsors for actual financial survival. I am aware the HP manager has no idea what these athletes actually do training wise etc. Organising a full week training camp during peak build season, insisting all categorised athletes attend (but allowing the couple of faves to skip it) and only allowing an hour or so each morning for training and then filling the day with bonding games might work in the corporate world but does not in elite endurance sport. Any athletes who performed well this season didn’t attend as they didn’t lose that week + travel time of fitness at such a critical time.
The programme has now hobbled all the next gen athletes by not allowing them to race u/23 champs, which would give them the chance to race against their age group peers and at worst see how far they have to improve to move forward and be successful. I would like to say I am shocked by all that has now come to be, but I am not.
WHAAAAAAAT!!! You know this for a fact? Nobody is possibly that stupid, surely this would’ve been considered an act of sabotage?
Tri Aus has been screwed for years.
Have a look at their published accounts. They spend 95% on office based staff, perks and other benefits. How many “officials” went free loading to Paris and World Championships. They stay in 5* hotels, travel business and cost everything to expenses. Their elite athletes receive peanuts.
All whilst they have destroyed the fantastic Aussie performances. I know for a fact there are 2 athletes who are trying to get dual nationality so they can leave that farce of an elite programme.
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did you not have a national coach that never went to poland …
I dont understand what you are saying about national coach and poland?
And yes, fact. Probably not knowledegable sabbotage, as the head knows no better, was never a coach or an athlete so doesn’t get it. Too full of their own importance to listen to those who do have knowledge, prefer to sack them for being disagreeable.
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Something needs to be done about that if true, can’t one of the big name ex Oz Triathletes speak up about it? Would explain how Australia went from one of the top 3 or 4 powehouse nations to nowhere recently.
Carney tried, ended in threats of court cases. She was silenced.
Those that can’t get dual nationality just get emotionally beaten down until their race results suffer so much they either retire or leave the system and go to long course. Once out of the system they can thrive. Ash gentle for one example, lets see what the next couple of years bring as others jump ship.
Stapley jumped last year. He may or may not make it SC (but obviously motivated by Waugh link-up).
Although Stapley was racing for AUS I don’t believe he had an Australian passport. I think (but not certain) that AUS has very similar rules to GBR in that you have to be eligible for the Olympics to receive funding.
Stapley raced for AUS 1 day too late into the Olympic cycle and didn’t meet the criteria for AUS or GBR.
I am all for bashing NGBs when they deserve it but Stapley got it wrong. He appeared to be vociferous about not receiving funding but the reality was he didn’t meet the criteria from either NGB and GB-Tri couldn’t fund him.
stapley never had an aussi passport
of course the error was on stapley the question is did world triathlon have to change the rule to change flag and make it more difficult for atheltes to change flag.
especially in his case where he did not even have an australian passport in the first place.
effectively he was not elegible to race at oly games for australia either .
i had quoted kajet not you
Did World Tri change the qualification rules this Olympic cycle? I thought they stayed the same as previous cycles?
I thought it was IOC who dealt with nationality qualification.