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≡ THE BIG PICTURE ≡
Spaniard Antonio Arimany was elected on Monday as the new President of World Triathlon, ascending from his position as Secretary General of the federation.
The vote at the XXXVII World Triathlon Congress in Torremolinos (ESP) showed an overwhelming total of 90 votes for Arimany, with Ian Howard (GBR) a distant second with 29, Mads Freund (DEN) with 19 and Tamas Toth (HUN) with two votes.
Arimany has been with the triathlon federation since 2010:
● 2010-14: Administration, Legal and Finance Director
● 2014-16: Director General
● 2016-24: Secretary General
He succeeds fellow Spaniard Marisol Casado, in office since 2008 as the second president of what was formerly known as the International Triathlon Union (ITU). She was re-elected in 2012, 2016 and 2020, and has been an International Olympic Committee member since 2010; her IOC membership is now ended since it was tied to her role at World Triathlon.
Arimany’s candidate brief promised to grow the sport commercially, increase interest through better event production and better support the national federations and regional confederations.
There was very little drama in his election, which was widely anticipated. However, the outcome of the entire election program was odd:
● World Triathlon announced eight candidates for President on 7 August, including Arimany, Howard, Freund and Toth, but also Debbie Alexander (RSA), Antonio Alvarez (MEX), Michelle Cooper (AUS), and Shin Otsuka (JPN).
The last four all withdrew, with Cooper exiting the election just before it was held, as her photograph was still shown today on the World Triathlon Web site list of candidates.
● Of the four remaining candidates for President, Howard also ran for re-election as a Vice President, and Freund ran for President, Vice President and Executive Board seats. Neither was elected to any post.
Of the candidates who abandoned their Presidential campaigns, Alexander and Alvarez were re-elected as Vice Presidents and Otsuka was elevated from Executive Board member to a Vice President slot. Cooper – who got out at the last moment – lost for both Vice President and the Executive Board; she had been a member of the Executive Board as the head of the Oceania Triathlon regional confederation.
● American Gabriela Gallegos was elected as a Vice President, tying for the most votes – 90 – with Otsuka. She was re-elected to a second term after serving since 2020.
Arimany helped stabilize the World Triathlon finances following the Covid-19 pandemic, but the federation still relies heavily on the International Olympic Committee television rights share it receives. World Tri received $15.144 million from the IOC for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (in 2021) and spends only a portion of this money each year:
Revenues:
● 2022: $9.247 million (IOC: $4.500 million: 48.7%)
● 2021: $6.522 million (IOC: $2.637 million: 40.4%)
● 2020: $3.328 million (IOC: $1.983 million: 59.6%)
● 2019: $8.132 million (IOC: $3.572 million: 43.9%)
● 2018: $8.035 million (IOC: $3.816 million: 47.5%)
Assets:
● 2022: $15.556 million
● 2021: $20.037 million
● 2020: $8.670 million (Covid impact)
● 2019: $10.149 million
● 2018: $12.846 million
Reserves:
● 2022: $4.381 million
● 2021: $4.803 million
● 2020: $4.686 million
● 2019: $4.586 million
● 2018: $4.467 million
The federation has a long way to go to be self-sufficient beyond the IOC’s contribution. It can expect a raise in the IOC television money from Paris 2024 as the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations has said that there should be more money available from Paris 2024 than from previous Games.
Yet, triathlon remains a small presence in the Olympic Games, debuting only in 2000 and adding a third event (the mixed relay) for Tokyo 2020. The sport had 110 competitors from 42 nations competing in Paris.
Triathlon’s founding President, Les McDonald (CAN) and Casado have placed the sport firmly on the Olympic program. Arimany asked for the presidency and won it; now he has to show that he can expand the sport’s profile and finances in an ever-more-crowded worldwide sports landscape.
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