LATEST NEWS - 08/03/04 - International Women's Day
ITU President's Report to EBoard, Council and NF Presidents

UPCOMING EVENTS

2004 ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships

Greetings,

This year promises to be exciting for ITU; for our athletes, officials, volunteers and avid supporters. Although there is an ancient Chinese proverb that says "may you not have to live through exciting times," the Olympics hadn't yet arrived in China, so Confucius can be excused for a little negative apprehension.

Les McDonald

2004 ITU Ishigaki World Cup

2004 ITU Continental Championships

1. January Meetings: ITU Headquarters: We had very productive working meetings at the ITU Headquarters in Vancouver. The first meetings occurred early in January with a focus on revision of the ITU Events Manual, renewing television contracts and updating www.triathlon.org - ITU's website. This work was accomplished by Loreen Barnett, ITU Executive Director, Sheila O'Kelly, ITU Events Manager, Leslie Buchanan, ITU Technical Director, Lisa Ogilvie, ITU-HDQ Media Manager, Ed Rice (from Ireland), Head of ITU Media, and Ray Hahn, Executive Assistant to Kyung-Sun Yu (KOR), President of ASTC. Expect to see the 2004 events, World Cup, World Championships and the Olympic Triathlon lifted to new heights.

2. Meetings in Athens: In January I visited Athens for more exploratory meetings with ATHOC 2004 accompanied by Gergely Markus, Competition Manager, Vicky Karavagliou, Assistant to the Competition Manager, Thanos Nikopoulos, Technical Assistant to the Competition Manager. Other International Federation representatives were there at this time, with a certain air of apprehension with regards to the tardiness of some venue construction.
a) In meetings with Spyros Capralos, the Executive Director of ATHOC and Marton Simitsek the Chief Executive Officer, we were assured that everything will be finished on time.
b) We spent a day at the Vouliagmeni Triathlon venue going over precise details of the course and our plans for construction of new roads, transition area, and spectator stands, swim dive platform and arrangements for officials and volunteer accommodations
c) The beach at Vouliagmeni was privately owned, since taken over by the government. The original owners now in court with demands for compensation. There are thousands of stray dogs and cats wandering the streets of Athens and Vouliagmeni, they look sad and always so hungry. I fear what the solution may be prior to the opening ceremonies. Not my solution I hasten to add.
d) Gergely, Vicky and Thanos are a fine team; with large amounts of work concerning items you would not believe. They have a new slogan, "It's not every four years - it's every day!"

3. ORCA: The end of the month saw a visit from our potential sponsors from New Zealand - ORCA. The ORCA group was led by company owner Scott Unsworth, and also included Mark Sewell and Aiden Clarke. We expect to announce this important agreement soon.

4. ITU Ranking Manager: Enrique Quesada, from Spain, visited the ITU office in February, en route to Guatemala to conduct a Solidarity Training Camp, sponsored by the Spanish Government. Enrique is an important part of "Team ITU", and has Olympic experience as the 1988 Cross-Country Ski Manager for the Spanish Winter Olympic team - he is also a computer genius. Enrique is working shoulder-to-shoulder with Michel Gignoux. As such he is assuming most of the work done by Michel who, as you know, is currently struggling valiantly against the ravages of cancer. We are all with Michel at this time, in thoughts, prayers and spirit. Enrique will travel to the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships; Wildhaus, Switzerland - March 14, as the Technical Delegate. He will work closely with local organiser Hans-Peter Schuck to guarantee a success of the event.

5. Mazatlan World Cup Site Visit: In early February Loreen Barnett traveled south to Mazatlan, Mexico as the TD for the World Cup there on the 25 April. Mazatlan will be one of three important Olympic Qualifying events before the "cut off" date of 9th May, 2004.

The 3 being:
- 11 April Ishigaki, Japan
- 25 April: Mazatlan; Mexico
- 8, 9 May Madeira ITU World Championships, Portugal

Loreen reported that the LOC in Mazatlan is willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the event is one of the best on the ITU World Cup circuit, complete with picturesque islets in the bay, bird filled mangrove swamps, an old Spanish fort, an observatory and one of the highest lighthouses in the world.

Antonio Alvarez, ITU Executive Board Member, Mexican Olympic Committee Member, Jaime Cadaval, President of the Mexican Triathlon Federation were the gracious hosts.

The Mazatlan World Cup will be a fine event - count on it.

6. More news from Athens: Gergely Markus has been selected to run with the Olympic Torch when it arrives in Greece. He will join a prestigious group of torchbearers, including Kip Keino from Kenya (IOC), a multi-Olympic medallist and friend of ITU.

7. Madeira Site Visit: Sheila O'Kelly and Enrique Quesada travelled to Madeira in February to check out the course and iron out the odd problem still outstanding. One issue to resolve was the Age Group bike course - somewhat dangerous, too many tight corners. Along with the local organizer and bon vivant Lourenço Vivieros, they were able to persuade the governor of the island to let them have the main highway from the airport to Funchal - all is resolved. As president Samaranch was ever fond of saying, "Tout est possible" between willing and intelligent sport enthusiasts.

8. ITU Executive Board Meeting:There will be an ITU Executive Board Meeting in Madeira. The focus of the meeting will be Athens 2004 and in particular the days of the25th and 26th of August - the woman's and men's triathlon. There will be meetings of the various committees and commissions of ITU in Madeira with a major emphasis on unity, to preserve, maintain and increase our success.

9. ANOC General Assembly: At the end of February the International Federation (IF) Presidents were invited to the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), by its president Mario Vasques Rana, Executive Member of the IOC.

The week long conference was held in Athens with more than 500 delegates, plus the Summer Olympic bid cities 2012: London, Paris, Madrid, New York, Rio, Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, Moscow. I was able to meet with all of the bid cities and discuss possible courses for Olympic Triathlon for whoever or whichever city is successful.

Who do we support? All of them of course, although I suspect Marisol Casado, Jacques LaParade, Carlos Froes, Mark Sisson and Graeme Kempson may have their favourites, and so they should.

The IOC Executive Board were in attendance and arranged a breakfast meeting with the IF presidents. The IOC president, Dr. Jacques Rogge addressed the meeting with emphasis on the need to maintain vigilance on the construction of the Olympic Venues. I took him at his word and went the next day to Vouliagmeni once more with Gergely, Vicky and Thanos to examine the start of ground clearing, and exact transition area layout.

10. Recognition of New NOCs: ANOC recognized two new NOC's into the Olympic family - Iraq and Iran, bringing the total of NOC affiliates to 202 - a new record. I met with both of them and have begun the process of visits by our people to help create NFs there - both are supported by IOC Solidarity funds.

11. Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Beijing has invited ITU representatives to visit in the near future with the objective of lectures on creating venues, coaches and potential Olympic Triathletes. The Beijing Olympic Course is not decided as yet. Tienamen Square was the original proposal, with the swim in the Empresses' Palace Lake - but the bike course is flat, and the city is a little crowded. The option is the hills behind the city near the Ming Tombs, with the swim in the Beijing reservoir. Mr. Igaya has suggested we find a way of including a portion of the run on "the great wall of China." Nice idea? What do you think? We won't wait until 2008 to try it - World Cup Beijing 2005 is a must.

12. USOC President: I met with the new pro-tem president of the US Olympic Committee, William Martin (Bill). There have been problems within the USOC - the new President has been appointed to restructure the top heavy organisationThe USA Triathlon Federation (USAT) is also experiencing internal problems, and is under a trusteeship until such time as sanity prevails, which no doubt it will. My only advice is not to allow internal disputes affect the hopes and aspirations of the athletes' dream of Olympic participation as well as World Cup and World Championships.Also, Bill Martin is an Olympian (sailing), an expert at navigating. It will stand him in good stead as he steers his way to shore, which I'm confident that he will.

13. Rio 2012 Olympic Bid and Triathlon World Cup 2004: Carlos Nuzman (IOC member in Brazil), head of the Rio 2012 Olympic Bid has invited a delegation from ITU to visit the City of the "Sugar Loaf Mountain," and Copacabana Beach. Carlos has been an avid supporter of ITU for some years, and supports his namesake, Carlos Froes, the President of the Brazilian Triathlon Federation and the ITU Regional Representative for the Americas.

14. London 2012: After the ANOC Assembly I travelled to London on the invitation of Barbara Cassani, the leader of the 2012 Bid Committee. The Triathlon course is in Hyde Park, centre of London, with the swim in the Serpentine Lake, and the bike through the city.

15. Salford World Cup 2004 Launch: A press conference was held in London to launch the 2004 Salford World Cup Triathlon, July 2004. Following the launch, we travelled to Salford to attend a local launch.

Both conferences were well attended and received accolades in the press, radio, and television. Other attendees were the Honourable Sir Richard Caborn, MP, Minister of Sport and Culture, Sir Rocco Forte, Sponsor and age group Triathlete (would you believe?), who competed in the Queenstown ITU Triathlon World Championships, and John Lunt (Event Organiser par excellence in Britain).

Also in attendance were: Clive Faine, Chair, ITU Duathlon Committee, Jasmine Flatters, BTA Executive Board member, along with Clive and Graeme Kempson, ITU Constitution Committee, Treasurer of ETU and erstwhile Technical Committee stand-in for the absent Michel Gignoux.

16. WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency): There were important discussions at the ANOC Assembly. There has been a rocky road for WADA since its creation, but it is succeeding.

The exposé of the "Bay Area Clinic (BALCO)" in San Francisco, and the determination of the athletes, their coaches and sponsors to succeed at all cost, including their lives as we have tragically witnessed, requires an organisation with the apt slogan of "zero tolerance!"

However a compromise with the Football Federation (FIFA), to allow them to impose lesser penalties for positive tests is, in my opinion, a classis case of "one law for the rich, and another law for the poor." What do you think?

We should deliberate this serious anomaly to the "zero tolerance" slogan of WADA at the next ITU Executive Board meeting, Madeira.

17. Women's Conference, Marrrakesh: Marisol Casado will attend the IOC Women's Conference, 6, 7, March. Marrakesh is the home of the Olympic Champion and IOC member Mme Nawal El Moutawakel.

Marisol is a long time advocate of the rights of equality for women in sport and is an appropriate delegate to this important conference. Marisol is also Executive Director of the undisputed most successful National Federation of Triathlon in ITU, in terms of Elite men's and Women's teams, U/23 and Junior….and now the largest emerging age group team.

Spain, under the leadership of Marisol and Jose Hidalgo is also leading the way in terms of hosting world-class ITU events (winter and summer), not to mention one of the most sophisticated Triathlon Training Centres in the world, located in Madrid.

Marisol is the perfect delegate to the World Conference on Women. She will meet with other staunch advocates of equality, both women and men, and will spend time with the IOC Women's Committee Chair, Anita deFrantz (Olympian and IOC Member in the USA).

Marisol will also collaborate with Mme Shengrong Lu, former President of the International Badminton Federation and presently member of the Commission for Sport, China.

18. Ishigaki World Cup: There are only 36 days until the 2004 Ishigaki ITU World Cup - the first World Cup of the season. There are only 171 days until the Women's Triathlon, Athens Olympic Games - time goes by so quickly when you are having fun…doesn't it?!

19. Proverb for Today: "Dort vu men hot dikh lib, gey veynig, vu men hot dikh faynt, gey gor nit." A gold medal for the first correct translation.

20. ITU Celebrates International Women's Day: The modern Olympic Games were first held in Athens in 1859 and sponsored by a wealthy Greek who was born in Albania and had been a freedom fighter in the war of independence against the Ottoman Turks in the 1820's, Evangelos Zappas was his name.

Another creator of the moderm Olympic revival was Dr. William Brookes of the village of "Much Wenlock" in Shropshire, England.Dr. Brookes organised a series of "Games" he called Olympic, culminating in the "British Olympic Games of 1887."Brookes and Zappas also raised money that was given to the athletes as prize money.

All this occurred before Baron de Coubertin entered the scene to create the Games of 1896 in Athens. There were no women allowed in the 1896 Games, however there were women in the Games of 1887.

The first event ever open to women was…- knitting!

I am happy to report on this anniversary of "Women's Day". To the women triathletes of the world…."you've come a long way baby!" and still have a long way to go!21. ITU Women's Committee:

21: Special Women's Edition of the ITU News Update: On Monday, 8 March 2004, International Women's Day a special edition of the ITU News Update will be released which will include articles by members of the ITU Women's Committee. Thanks to Pam Fralick, Chair of the ITU Women's Committee for encouraging these contributions.

We value their ideas and thoughts as wonderful contributions to ITU.

22. Happy Women's Day: and remember the response of an unknown woman, on strike at the garment factory - the first ever women's strike, Chicago 1890, when asked by an incredulous passerby (a man), "What do you want? Her memorable response was, "We want bread …..and roses too!"See you at the races!Your sincerely,

Les McDonald, President

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