USA Triathlon pioneer nominated for Steinbrenner Award

Posted by By Gary Roethenbaugh at 26 June, at 00 : 00 AM Print

Jon Gray Noll, a pioneer in the sport of triathlon, has been nominated by USA Triathlon (USAT) for the United States Olympic Foundation’s George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award.

The award is presented annually by the United States Olympic Foundation to honour an outstanding member of the Olympic family who has contributed to sport through management, sport organisation endeavours or the enhancement of competitive opportunities, and who has displayed qualities of leadership, ethical conduct and dedicated responsibility during a longstanding commitment to sport.

Noll infused an up-and-coming sport with much-needed stability in its early days. His unwavering dedication to triathlon helped generate its growth into America’s sports mainstream, eventually leading to a spot in the Olympic Games.

As President of Tri-Fed, known as USA Triathlon today, from 1984-89, Noll was instrumental in building the foundation of the National Governing Body for multisport in the United States. He was the architect of both the first set of competitive rules for triathlon and the first true set of event production standards. Noll also played an invaluable role in developing the organisation’s business plan.

He also helped rebuild the organisation’s structure and bylaws to conform to the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. Noll was influential in forming the organisation’s first magazine, Transition Times, and securing its national distribution, which helped further the growth of multisport.

Noll also created the Tri-Fed National Championship as a separate race. His final act in office involved appointing the delegation that helped create the International Triathlon Union – the sport’s international governing body – and the ITU World Triathlon Championship.

A member of the inaugural class of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame in 2008, Noll continues to generously volunteer for USAT in a variety of roles to this day.

www.usatriathlon.org

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