Association of Commonwealth Triathlon formed

The International Triathlon Union has confirmed that the Association of Commonwealth Triathlon (ACT) National Federations was formed on 26 July 2014. The umbrella association was formally established at a special meeting that took place during the ‘ultimate performance opportunity’ for the Commonwealth family at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Commonwealth itself is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states and their dependencies, which may be found on all continents, and which accounts for over 2 billion people (30% of the world’s population). The fundamental values of Association have been summarised in the Declaration of Commonwealth Principles (1971, Singapore) and reaffirmed in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration (1991, Zimbabwe).

24 National Federations (NFs) attended in the presence of ITU VP Bill Walker and the ITU Sport and Anti-Doping Directors, and approved articles for an Unincorporated Association (UA), broadly based on the South-East Asian Triathlon Association Constitution.

A Management Committee was elected for the next quadrennial until the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast with members Alan Beckford (JAM), David Ferrier (AUS) and Jane Moncrieff (SCO), advisors Alain St Louis (MRI) and Sam Wickramasinghe (SRI). Luc Landriault (CAN) was elected unopposed as Treasurer, as was the organiser of the meeting, Dr Sarah Springman, as President. Jem Lawson (ENG) has been appointed as Secretary General.

The ACT Management Committee met at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton and has started to build a strategy to chime with the values of the Commonwealth Games Federation: ‘Humanity, Equality, Destiny and which will be commensurate with truly inspirational, sustainable, equitable and global goals of ITU.’

www.triathlon.org