World Triathlon confirms updates to competition rules

World Triathlon has approved a series of updates to competition rules that will be enforced from January 30, 2025.
 

A comprehensive review of rules, led by World Triathlon’s Technical Committee and World Triathlon Sports Department, incorporated feedback from athletes, local organizing committees (LOCs), national federations, continental confederations, various committees, and reports from technical delegates.
 

A full breakdown on the competition rules can be found online. Key updates included in the new rules include:
 

Mixed Relay order change
One of the most notable changes is the revised order of athletes in all Mixed Relay races for the Olympic cycle until the 2028 LA Olympic and Paralympic Games. From 2025 onwards, the sequence will be woman – man – woman – man, as it was for the Tokyo 2020 cycle. This new order is also applicable to age-group category racing.
 

Sprint events to be awarded equal points for athletes
The previous 25% reduction for sprint events and the 12.5% reduction for semifinal/final and eliminator events have been removed to uphold competitive equity across all race formats. From now on, all the races, regardless of distance, will award the same number of ranking points.
 

Athlete briefing change of day
From now on, the athlete’s briefing for all categories and all races will be conducted on the day before the race at 16:00 local time.
 

Modified drafting penalties
The penalties for drafting violations have been revised and reduced across various race distances, with the aim of reflecting a more balanced approach to competition integrity. The new penalty durations are as follows:

• Long distance: reduced to 3 minutes
• Middle distance: reduced to 2 minutes
• Standard distance: reduced to 1 minute
• Sprint distance: reduced to 30 seconds

The drafting zone has been unified for all events to 12m and 25 seconds to pass another athlete.

Reduced time penalties

Time penalties for all other infringements remain as they were, but a new category has been included: Super Sprint race time penalties will be 5 seconds.

Apparel regulations
Elite athletes will now be allowed to wear uniforms with sleeves that extend down to the elbow. This is applicable at all distances and all events.
 

Swim water quality standards
Here, World Triathlon notes that… ‘By still ensuring the athletes’ safety, the acceptable levels of Enterococci and E. coli in swim courses have been relaxed from ‘excellent’ to ‘good’.’

Importantly, the decision to cancel the swim due to water quality will now involve a collaborative assessment by a group that includes a Medical Committee representative, the Medical Delegate, and the LOC Medical Director, rather than a single individual.
 

Swim behavior
Athletes are not allowed to push an inanimate object to propel themselves forward.
 

To avoid injuries, finger and toenails will need to be short in order for the athlete to be authorized to start. Jewellery is forbidden, as are watches, in principle, but the Head Referee may authorize the wearing of watches. This will be for elite races only.
 

Age-Group Mixed Relay change of ages
Age ranges for Age-Group Mixed Relay events will now be determined by the total combined age of all team members, not the individual ages of each team member.
 

Event participation criteria
The minimum age to compete in higher-level competitions has been raised, with World Triathlon emphasizing that… ‘the category of competition will now be considered in addition to the distance as a limiting factor.’
 

www.triathlon.org