Officiating and Rules

LEVEL 1 Officials Clinics

Officials Clinics are conducted in the spring and summer of each season. If you belong to a club, race organization, or community that requires individuals to be trained as an Official, please contact Triathlon BC and we will arrange for a clinic to be conducted in your area. We require at least four people to attend an Officials Clinic; we do not charge a fee for participation.

Clinic Topics Include:

Who is Triathlon BC and what role does it play in sanctioning and officiating of races (What gives you the right to penalize me?).
The fundamental rules of the sport of triathlon (What do you mean I’m too close to the person in front of me?)
How to interpret the rules (How was I supposed to know that?)

Prerequisites

A good sense of judgement and fair play
A desire to learn
A willingness to give until it hurts!

This course, while prerequisite to becoming an official, is also a good introduction to the rules of the sport for both new participants, and a refresher for those who have been racing for years. Please note, all Officials must be current members of Triathlon BC when officiating.

UPCOMING OFFICIALS CLINIC - PART 1

Officials Level One Clinic - Victoria
Date: Saturday May 11, 2013
Location: Suite 100 - 4636 Elk Lake Drive
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Facilitator: Ulf Schuetze
Cost: FREE to all Triathlon BC Members

A minimum of 4 people need to be registered one week prior to the course date for this course to run.

To Register, please complete the WORD or PDF Registration Form and send to officials@tribc.org. Please note that we require a minimum of 5 participants 5 days prior to the date specified.

Race Directors Memo Regarding Bicycle Eligibility

NOTICE RE: BICYCLE EQUIPMENT IN TRIATHLON

This notice is to remind Race Directors, Officials and Athletes of the rules regarding bicycle equipment allowed in Triathlon. These rules have been established to ensure safe and fair competition.

Bicycles of non-traditional patterns (bicycles with irregular rider position) are considered illegal unless approved by the Chief Race Official well prior to the race.

For athletes with a disability, the term 'bicycle' includes: bicycle, handcycle, tricycle, tandem bicycle and racing wheelchair. Any AWAD competitor using equipment that is non-traditional should have it approved prior to race-day.

Please note - The term 'bicycle' does not refer to recumbent bicycles which are illegal for all competitors AWAD or able bodied.

For further clarification, Officials, Race Directors and Athletes are urged to review the official rules for specific descriptions of all legal cycling equipment. The rules that govern triathlon in Canada can be found HERE.

Introduction

The Officials development model used by Triathlon BC falls under broader models used by Triathlon Canada.

Officials are classified into four distinct levels. Level 1 and 2 Officials are combined to cover novice, club, and local Officials. Level 3 is aimed at Provincial and National Championship event Officials; and Level 4 is required for Officials at major International events such as the Pan Am Games and Olympics.

The Officiating program in BC is considered to be among the best in Canada! Triathlon BC conducts three to four Officials clinics around the province each year. Currently, we have a good base of approximately 50 active Officials in BC, with three individuals certified as Level 4, approximately eight certified as Level 3, and the remainder certified as Level 1-2. At a typical event, between three and five Officials are required. However, with large events such as Ironman Canada, there is a need to provide over thirty Officials for shifts lasting over eight hours.

Triathlon BC was very proud that a number of our Level 4 Officials were selected to officiate at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, this is a great achievement and provides an excellent mentoring for other Officials.

Regional events, including Provincial Championships, Triathlon BC Race Series events and Provincial Summer Games provide an excellent opportunity for Officials to gain exposure/experience and work with higher-level Officials.

Triathlon BC is committed to growing our officiating program through a wide range of initiatives.

Opportunities

We are constantly looking for individuals that are interested in becoming part of our Officiating team. If you are interested in becoming an Official, please contact us. Note that we encourage:

each club to have at least two certified Officials;
parents to become involved as Officials at Kid, Youth, and Junior events; and
current members to give back to the sport by Officiating at an event.

Our sport needs dedicated and respected Officials at all sanctioned events.

Remember, most Officials are volunteers, please take the time to thank them for spending their day ensuring that YOU can race in a safe, sanctioned event.

Officials ensure that events are conducted in a fair and safe manner, under the governing rules of the sport.

The following is a link to the International Triathlon Union (ITU) competition rules. These apply to all sanctioned races throughout BC and across Canada. Triathlon BC has prepared an Appendix to the ITU rules for additions/ammendment to the ITU rules that are applicable in sanctioned races throughout British Columbia.

About Triathlon BC

Triathlon BC is the provincial governing body, dedicated to the growth, development and promotion of Triathlon, Duathlon, Aquathon and Winter Triathlon for all athletes, regardless of skill or age.

The Sport

The sport of Triathlon is comprised of events that include swimming, cycling and running components. Distances include Sprint, Short Course (Olympic) and Long Distance. Triathlon Canada's Kids of Steel (KOS) events cater to youth athletes under the age of 19.

Vision

Triathlon BC will develop, promote and support the sport of Triathlon in British Columbia.

Triathlon BC gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

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