World Triathlon

British Triathlon was delighted to receive the award of Sport Governing Body of the Year at the prestigious Sports Industry Awards Dinner on Thursday 13 May. British Triathlon, up against a strong opposition from the England & Wales Cricket Board, Premier League, Premier Rugby, Rugby Football Union and UKA, impressed the judging panel with the way in which the organisation approached 2009, with the aim of taking triathlon to new audiences to inspire participation, support and investment.

Sarah Springman OBE, President of British Triathlon said: “Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic sport. Receiving this award is recognition of the creative inspiration and hard work exhibited so freely by our talented World class athletes, coaches, support staff and board members – focused around delivering world class events and performing on the big stages.

“We also have exceptional support from partners and sponsors, all of whom are fully aligned with our purpose, working with us to ensure we continue to be best in the World. As a relatively new and fast evolving Olympic sport, we have made great progress on all fronts in the last ten years, and we will continue to work hard towards the London 2012 Olympics where we hope triathlon will be the most memorable mass spectator event of the Games and our team will be viewed as Britain at its best!”

As a young sport that had only made an entrance into the Olympic programme in 2000, the primary goal for 2009 was to make an impact on UK television, focusing specifically on terrestrial broadcasters.

To appeal to the needs of broadcasters, British Triathlon launched the Super Series on Channel 4, with additional content on Eurosport. In addition, BBC screened live the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series race in the 2012 Olympic venue of Hyde Park, staged by British Triathlon and Upsolut Sport UK. 

With so much increased exposure delivered for the sport, it is perhaps unsurprising that participation levels rose by 20%, an impressive feat in the eyes of the Awards’ judging panel for a so-called minority sport.