The latest World Triathlon Open Hour will be held on April 17th and 18th, where national federations will hear the latest news on the 2024 season and share some of their memories and iconic images from over the years as part of the 35th anniversary of World Triathlon I was invited to do it. celebration.
Marisol Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC Member, said: “This is a great opportunity to hear the reminiscences of our members and to revisit important moments in our 35-year history.'' “It has been an honor to be at the heart of the growth of our sport and to have worked with so many great people over the years, all pulling in the same direction towards the development of triathlon’s place on the world stage. Thank you to everyone who contributed to that over the years and shared their memories at this week's open hour session.”
Former World Triathlon general secretary and vice president Laureen Barnett recalled the story behind the image of Simon Whitfield crossing the line to win the first-ever Olympic men's gold medal in Sydney in 2000.
“I think it was David Hansen who came up to me and asked if he could put up the goal banner, but more important than that was the person off camera. That was Michel Gigneault. He was a great mentor to all of us in terms of the rules and the technical aspects of the sport and how the sport developed…He was the foundation and the rock for establishing our rules. It was such a great event. We did…and that still stands out as the standard we strive to achieve.”
“You have to admire the profile that[first ITU President]Les MacDonald gave to women. He was a strong man and a politician, but behind the scenes he valued the so-called “look and feel” of sports, relationships, and partnerships. , I truly believe there were women. ”
Another former Secretary-General and Vice-President, Bill Walker, was an integral part of triathlon's Olympic debut and became the driving force behind triathlon in Australia and around the world. “We empowered young people to do things with us,” he recalls. “My message to future triathlon leaders is to look to your youth. If you empower them and believe in them, you will create a dynamic and relevant sport. will continue to be.”
Thanks to World Triathlon Austria Triathlon, British Triathlon, Bulgarian Triathlon Association, Triathlon Canada, Colombian Triathlon Federation, Danish Triathlon, Egyptian Triathlon Federation, Estonian Triathlon, French Triathlon Federation, German Triathlon Federation, Gibraltar Triathlon, Hungarian Triathlon Federation, Luxembourg Triathlon, Malta Triathlon, Mexican Triathlon Federation, Nigeria Triathlon Federation, Norwegian Triathlon, Rwanda Triathlon Federation, Saudi Triathlon, Slovenian Triathlon, Turkish Triathlon Federation, USA Triathlon, and Zimbabwe Triathlon Federation shared their memories and photos.
Special thanks also to Loreen Barnett, Bill Walker, Terry Sheldrake, Rolf Ebeling and Neil Andrew McLeod.
The session will be available in English and French, and the presentation can be viewed here.
