Federation

Contact Information

Address
Maison du Sport, Rte de l\'aeroport, km 1
Sfax
3000
Tunisia

President
Tarek Baccour

Secretary General
Sahla Feki

Latest News

• Messages from the President of Triathlon South Africa

  We are once again privileged to welcome the world to our part of the world. Just as we did in the past we are fully geared up to present the best world cup in Richards Bay. Our organising team will spare no expense to make the athletes feel at home during their stay in Richards Bay. We have the backing of the city with all its resources to see to it that nothing hampers the world cup preparation for 2008. We want to see the world come to play in our part of the world because every event that we present in our country is part of the build up to the hosting of the 2010 Football World Cup. You may not return for the World Cup but you would have experienced the hospitality of South Africans in your own way. Don’t miss out on experiencing the beauty of the Zulu Kingdom and come and be part of the many people who will make the weekend of the world cup a memorable one. We look forward to hosting you in May because we have high hopes of one day hosting the World Champs in South Africa. We will therefore not want to miss the opportunity of impressing you with the best that the country and the region can give. You are welcome Thank you Gideon Sam Triathlon South Africa PRESIDENT {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  Birth of Triathlon in Tunisia

  Last weekend Tunisia successfully hosted the 2008 ATU Triathlon African Championships in Yasmine Hammamet, the first ITU-sanctioned event to ever be held in Tunisia. The race was the crowning achievement for the Tunisian Triathlon Federation, which joined the ITU family just last year. The architect of the federation is Abdelbacet Abdouli, commonly known as Bacet, who was inspired after leafing through his companys magazine. The idea came to me when I was reading the BG newsletter regarding the contract between ITU and BG Group to sponsor triathlon, said Abdouli, the Lead Maintenance Engineer with BG Group in Tunisia, ITUs global partner. I love sport and as BG staff, I wanted to take advantage of this and develop triathlon in Tunisia. Soon afterwards, he was on his way to BGs headquarters in Reading, England to find out more about his companys involvement with triathlon and how he could bring the sport to his country. He was directed to ITU and introduced to its Sport Development programme. I never heard about such a programme for sport development, admits Abdouli. Usually inside the countries any sport has to rely on itself for the development of that sport so this was the first time that I saw there is a worldwide programme for developing sport. After many preliminary phone meetings and a plan of action to get the federation off the ground, Libby Burrell, ITU Director of Sport Development and Ned Wills of BG Group traveled to Tunisia in November of 2006. They met with Abdouli and the movers and shakers of the Tunisian sports scene. They also met with the sport university to set up a specific academic programme to develop local triathlon coaches. Not only did ITU assist in establishing the first triathlon club in Tunisia, it also helped develop coaches as two Tunisian coaches were also given the opportunity to attend the ITU competitive Coaching Course held in Stellenbosch, South Africa. ITU Sport Development also sent a coach to Tunisia to run a week-long athlete training camp and coach mentoring programme, which coincided with the official launch of the federation. We had a lot of support from ITU, even beyond the camps and courses. There was a lot of email exchange and any time we needed to ask any questions, we received responses and full support from ITU, said Abdouli. On July 18, ITU formally announced Tunisia as a fully affiliated national federation, the tenth from Africa to join ITU. Not long after, the country was awarded the honour of hosting the 2008 ATU African Triathlon Championships. In preparation for the event and to keep the momentum going, three Tunisian athletes and a coach attended the African Junior Camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa in December 2007. This has all been a wonderful experience for us in ITU to be able to work with such a determined and motivated group of administrators, said Burrell, who has worked closely with Abdouli in the past two years. For sure this is an example of how a new federation could and should be established in such a short amount of time. That triathlon in Tunisia is still in its early stages makes the successful African Championships even more impressive. In addition to staging elite, under23, junior and age-group races, the event hosted coaching courses led by Burrell and ITU Sport Development Manager Alan Ley while ITU Event Development Director Gergely Markus conducted level 1 officials clinics as well. These were all projects and initiatives directed to fostering the sports evolution in Tunisia and northern Africa. Abdouli admits it wasnt smooth sailing all the way in their maiden event but he remains undeterred and determined to push forward to develop triathlon in Tunisia. We made some mistakes but it is important for us because we learn from our mistakes, he said. We need to have events and this was a big challenge for us but we think we can now move towards better events and better programmes for our triathletes and coaches. With Abdouli ambitiously steering the ship, the potential for triathlons growth in Tunisia is tremendous and could become one of the most popular sports in the country. Bacet is the driving force behind the federation, said Burrell says of Abdouli. As with all good leaders he drives hard to meet his long-term objectives. I see only good things. His heart is in the right place and the athletes and events are his focus. He is a hard working and unselfish man with a dream to provide Tunisian athletes with opportunities to succeed. Although there were no Tunisians competing in the elite mens and womens fields of the African Championships, the event should be considered a key investment that will net significant returns in the future. Click here for a full review of the 2008 African Championships Click here to watch highlights from the elite mens and womens races at the African Championships El fin de semana pasado se albergaron con xito los Campeonatos Africanos de Triatln ATU en Yasmine Hammamet, la primera prueba ITU organizada en Tnez. La carrera fue un logro supremo para la Federacin de Triatln Tunecina, la cual se uni a la familia de la ITU tan slo hace un ao. El artfice de la federacin es Abdelbacet Abdouli, ms conocido como Bacet, quien se inspir tras ojear una revista de su empresa. La idea me vino cuando estaba leyendo en el boletn de noticias BG el contrato entre la ITU y el Grupo BG para patrocinar el triatln, dijo Abdouli, el Ingeniero de Mantenimiento del Grupo BG en Tnez, el compaero de la ITU. Me encanta el deporte y como soy un trabajador del Grupo BG, quise aprovechar la oportunidad y desarrollar el triatln en Tnez. Al poco tiempo se dirigi a las oficinas centrales del Grupo BG en Reading, Inglaterra para informarse sobre la relacin de su empresa con el triatln y cmo podra llevar el triatln a su pas. A l se le envi a la ITU y all se le present el Programa de Desarrollo Deportivo. Nunca haba escuchado tal programa para el desarrollo del deporte, reconoci Abdouli. Por lo general en todos los pases cualquier deporte tiene que depender de s mismo para su desarrollo por lo que esta era la primera vez que vea un programa mundial para el desarrollo deportivo. Tras muchas reuniones telefnicas previas y un plan de accin para conseguir el objetivo de la federacin, Lobby Burell, Directora del Desarrollo Deportivo de la ITU y Ned Wills del Grupo BG viajaron a Tnez en Noviembre del 2006. Ellos visitaron el pas junto con Abdouli y los lderes y promotores del panorama deportivo de Tnez. Tambin conocieron la universidad de deportes para establecer un programa acadmico especfico para el desarrollo de los entrenadores de triatln locales. La ITU no slo ayud en la creacin del primer club de triatln en Tnez, tambin ayud en el desarrollo de entrenadores dando la oportunidad de asistir a dos entrenadores tunecinos al Curso de Entrenamiento para la Competicin que tuvo lugar en Stellenbosch, Sudfrica. El Desarrollo Deportivo de la ITU tambin envi un entrenador a Tnez para impartir el campus de una semana sobre el entrenamiento del atleta y el programa de formacin de entrenadores, el cual coincidi con la inauguracin oficial de la federacin. Nosotros tuvimos un gran apoyo de la ITU, incluso ms all de los campus y los cursos. Estuvimos en contacto a travs de correos electrnicos y en todo momento que tuvimos que hacer alguna pregunta nosotros recibimos respuesta y todo el apoyo de la ITU, dijo Abdouli. El 18 de Julio, la ITU anunci oficialmente que Tnez era una federacin nacional totalmente afiliada, la dcima de frica en unirse a la ITU. Al poco tiempo, se le concedi al pas el honor de albergar los Campeonatos Africanos de Triatln ATU 2008. Como preparativos de la prueba y para mantener el mpetu, tres atletas y un entrenador asistieron al Campus Junior Africano de Potchefstroom, Sudfrica en Diciembre del 2007. Todo esto ha sido una maravillosa experiencia para la ITU de ser capaz de trabajar con grupo de administradores tan decidido y motivado, dijo Burell, que ha trabajado estrechamente con Abdouli los ltimos dos aos. Seguro que esto es un ejemplo de cmo una nueva federacin podra y debera establecerse en espacio de tiempo tan corto. El triatln en Tnez est en sus primeras fases los que hace que el xito en los Campeonatos Africanos sea incluso ms impresionante. Adems de organizar las carreras lite, Sub23, junior y de los grupos de edad, la prueba organiz el curso de entrenadores impartido por Burell y el Manager del Desarrollo Deportivo de la ITU Alan Ley mientras que el Director del Desarrollo de Eventos Gergely Markus imparti tambin el clinic de oficiales nivel 1. Estos fueron todos los proyectos e iniciativas destinados para fomentar el desarrollo del deporte en Tnez y el Norte de frica. Abdouli admite que no todo ha sido un camino fcil pero l permanece sin inmutarse y decidido en seguir adelante para desarrollar el triatln en Tnez. Cometimos algunos errores, pero es importante para nosotros aprender de nuestros propios errores, dijo l. Necesitamos tener eventos y este fue un gran desafo para nosotros pero pensamos que ahora podemos mejorar las pruebas y los programas para nuestros triatletas y entrenadores. Con un ambicioso Abdouli dirigiendo el barco, el potencial para el crecimiento del triatln en Tnez es enorme y podra hacerse uno de los deportes ms populares en el pas. Bacet es el motor que empuja a la federacin, dijo Burell de Abdouli. Como todos los grandes lderes, trabaja duro para alcanzar sus objetivos a largo plazo. Yo slo veo cosas buenas. Su corazn est en el lugar correcto y los atletas y las pruebas son sus objetivos. l est trabajando duro y desinteresadamente con el sueo de proporcionar a los atletas tunecinos de oportunidades de tener xito Aunque no hubiera atletas tunecinos compitiendo en las categoras lite masculina y femenina de los Campeonatos Africanos, el acontecimiento debera ser considerado como una inversin clave que ganar en el futuro. Pulse aqu para un completo repaso de los Campeonatos Africanos del 2008 Pulse aqu para ver los mejores momentos de las carreras lite masculina y femenina de los Campeonatos Africanos {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  African Championships from Tunisia

  Olympic spots and African titles will be on the line this weekend in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia for the 2008 ATU Triathlon African Championships. The race marks an important milestone in ITU’s history as it is the first ITU-sanctioned race to take place in Tunisia, which last year became the newest member of the ITU family. The men’s and women’s winners will earn their country an Olympic spot, provided they are from an African nation and already hasn’t already qualified. Beijing berths and a $5000 USD prize purse will be at stake for the athletes in the elite fields. Junior, under23 and age-group categories will also be contested in a big triathlon weekend in Tunisia. Race Times: 12:20 Elite/U23 Women Start 15:00 Elite/U23 Men Start On the women’s side, the battle for African supremacy will likely be between the defending champion Kate Roberts and last year’s runner-up Mari Rabie, both of South Africa. The two have dominated this event winning the last three titles between them. Along with Corinne Berg, this could be a South African sweep of the podium. Click here for women’s start list Among the elite men, all eyes will be on Hendrik DeVilliers who will be looking to defend his title. DeVilliers broke through in 2007 with a huge victory for African triathlon when he won the Richards Bay BG Triathlon World Cup. He entered the history books as the first African triathlete to ever stand atop the world cup podium. Fellow South African Erhard Wolfaardt and Christopher Felgate of Zimbabwe will likely be his prime challengers. A number of Europeans will be on the start line but winning the race won’t earn them Olympic spots. Click here for men’s start list The races will cap off what is already an extremely busy week in Yasmine Hammamet. ITU Sport Development staff Libby Burrell and Alan Ley are there conducting a coaches clinic for African coaches and ITU Event Development director Gergely Markus held a level 1 officials clinica, all to help promote the growth of triathlon in Africa. Yasmine Hammamet is Tunisia’s newest resort. Situated just south of Tunis, it is made up of predominantly four and five star luxury hotels. Built around a 740-berth marina, it recreates the style of many elegant resorts around the Mediterranean. The town overlooks the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Hammamet, and is at the beginning of the Cap Bon peninsula, which is only 140km (84 miles) from Sicily (Italy). Inland it is all rolling vineyards and agricultural land. The Gulf of Hammamet has some of the best beaches in Mediterranean Sea. It has lovely stretches, interspersed with private hotel beaches. Plenty of sports facilities are available including windsurfing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, golf, and diving. The beaches are shallow and clean, perfect for a wide selection of water-sports. The first African Championships were staged in 1993 and had 300 competitors and the elite race was won by Hanele Steyn and Conrad Stoltz both from South Africa. Click here for more information on the 2008 ATU Triathlon African Championships Mari Rabie and Kate Roberts at last year’s ATU Triathlon African Championships Mari Rabie y Kate Roberts en los Campeonatos de Triatlón Africanos ATU del año pasado Las plazas Olímpicas y los títulos Africanos estarán en juego este fin de semana en Yasmine Hammamet, Túnez en los Campeonatos Africanos de Triatlón ATU 2008. La carrera es un importante hito en las historia de la ITU al tratarse de la primera carrera de la ITU puntuable que tenga lugar en Túnez, la cual se convirtió el año pasado en el miembro más reciente de la familia ITU. Los vencedores masculinos y femeninos ganarán para sus países una plaza Olímpica, con la condición de que sean una nación Africana y todavía no se hayan clasificado. El asegurarse una plaza Olímpica y una bolsa de premios de 5000$ estarán en juego en las categorías élite. Las categorías Junior, Sub23 y grupos de edad también lucharán en un gran triatlón este fin de semana en Túnez. Por parte de las mujeres, la lucha por la supremacía africana estará seguramente entre la defensora del campeonato Kate Roberts y la subcampeona del año pasado Mari Rabie, ambas de Sudáfrica. Las dos han dominado esta prueba ganando entre las dos los últimos tres títulos. Junto con Corinne Berg podría darse un barrido Sudafricano sobre el podium. Pulse aquí para ver la lista de salida femenina Entre la élite masculina, todos los ojos estarán puestos en Hendrik De Villiers que buscará defender su título. De Villiers se abrió camino en el 2007 con una gran victoria para el triatlón africano cuando ganó la Copa del Mundo de Triatlón BG de Richards Bay. El entró en la historia de los libros como el primer triatleta africano en la historia en estar en lo más alto de un podium de la copa del mundo. El compañero sudafricano Erhard Wolfaardt y Christopher Felgate de Zimbawe serán seguramente sus principales rivales. Un buen número de europeos estarán en la línea de salida pero el ganar la carrera no les dará derecho a una plaza Olímpica. Pulse aquí para ver la lista de salida masculina Yasmine Hammamet es el más reciente complejo vacacional de Túnez. Situado justo al sur de Túnez, está formado predominantemente de hoteles de lujo de cuatro y cinco estrellas. Construido alrededor de un puerto deportivo de 740 amarres, recrea el estilo de muchos elegantes complejos de vacaciones que hay alrededor del mediterráneo. La ciudad tiene vistas a las turquesas aguas del Golfo de Hammamet y es el principio de la península Cap Bon, lu cual está a tan sólo 140km (84 millas) de Sicilia (Italia). El interior está lleno de viñedos y de tierra agrícola. El Golfo de Hammamet tiene alguna de las mejores playas del Mar Mediterráneo. Tiene encantadores estrechos, mezclados con las playas privadas de los hoteles. Aquí se pueden hacer muchas actividades deportivas como windsurf, esquí acuático, golf y buceo. Las playas son poco profundas y limpias, perfectas para una amplia selección de deportes acuáticos. El primer Campeonato Africano se disputó en 1993 y tuvo 300 participantes. Las carreras élite fueron ganadas por Hanele Steyn y Conrad Stoltz, ambos de Sudáfrica. Pulse aquí para más información sobre los Campeonatos Africanos de Triatlón ATU 2008 {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

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  African Champs coming to Tunisia

  Earlier this year, Tunisia became the seventh and most recent African nation to join the International Triathlon Union as a National Federation and the country has the honor of hosting the 2008 African Triathlon Championships from March 8th to 9th. Last week, ITUs Director of Event Development Gergely Markus completed a successful site visit to Yasmine Hammamet in preparation for a successful event. Accompanied by Eugene Kraus, one of the most experienced International Technical Officials and hosted by Abdelbacet Abdouli, President of the Tunisian Triathlon Association and Sahla Feki Makni, Event Director, the team walked through the proposed bike and run course and the transition area and inspected the possible locations of the swim course. They also discussed other event matters including potential sponsors, media coverage and local participation. Im confident Yasmine Hammamet can host world class triathlon events due to the dedication of the local team, the location of the competition and the venue setup, said Markus. With the combined expertise and knowledge of Kraus and Markus, they took the opportunity to run a short event development workshop for the key technical staff and officials of the event. The seminar focused on the actual event venue and course and helped the local team understand the importance of the African Championships. A comprehensive Technical Officials workshop including theoretical and practical sessions will be held in February 2008. Yasmine Hammamet is Tunisias newest resort. Situated just south of Tunis, it is made up of predominantly four and five star luxury hotels. Built around a 740-berth marina, it recreates the style of many elegant resorts around the Mediterranean. The town overlooks the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Hammamet, and is at the beginning of the Cap Bon peninsula, which is only 140km (84 miles) from Sicily (Italy). Inland it is all rolling vineyards and agricultural land. The Gulf of Hammamet has some of the best beaches in Mediterranean Sea. It has lovely stretches, interspersed with private hotel beaches. Plenty of sports facilities are available including windsurfing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, golf, and diving. The beaches are shallow and clean, perfect for a wide selection of water-sports. The first African Championships were staged in 1993 and had 300 competitors and the elite race was won by Hanele Steyn and Conrad Stoltz both from South Africa. Click here for more information on the 2008 African Championships Click here for results from past African Triathlon Championships Click here for more information on the African Triathlon Union {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  Tunisia Sets up New Federation

  Tunisia is set to embrace the worlds youngest Olympic sport with the establishment of the countrys first official national federation for triathlon. The Association Sportive de Triathlon (AST) has been created by BG Tunisia in co-operation with the International Triathlon Union (ITU), their global partner BG Group and Tunisias Ministry of Sports and Youth. The development of AST directly meets one of the ITU Sport Development Programmes key mandates to increase the number of national federations in ITU over the next 8 years. The new non-profit organisation will play a major role in providing opportunities for Tunisians of all ages to participate in triathlon from novice through to Olympic levels. The foundations of AST were initially created in November 2006 and the triathlon federation is now in full operation at its new home at the Sfax Sports University. To mark the organisations launch, the first under 23 triathlon training camp is underway from 7 to 14 July, involving 25 athletes and 7 coaches from across Tunisia. Abdelbacet Abdouli, President of AST, who also works for BG Tunisia, said: This is a really exciting day for sport in Tunisia. We have adopted one of the fastest growing sports and its really exciting to think of the opportunities this can create for our country from grassroots to elite levels. Already we can see from this training camp that Tunisia has a wealth of sporting talent. With the help of BG Tunisia and our other partners, we can create new Olympic stars and provide better sporting opportunities for our communities. Mohamed Zribi, Tunisia Sports General Manager, Ministry of Sports and Youth, Tunis, said: AST shares our objectives to promote active lifestyles and the achievement of inspirational goals through sport. We are delighted that they will be working closely together as part of our Sport for all structure. AST has already established its first triathlon club called Sfax Tri Club with 40 athletes ranging from between 12 and 33 years of age. BG Tunisia has provided office and sports equipment and many of their employees have volunteered time to support the clubs development. At an elite level, progress is also being made with ITU and BG Group offering direct support to some of Tunisias most talented coaches and athletes. Two coaches have already attended the ITU Level 1 Coaching Course in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and some athletes will have the opportunity to attend the Africa Continental Development Camp at the end of this year. Abdelbacet Abdouli has planned a busy year for AST, with athletes competing in the ITU Triathlon African Cup events in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Plans are also underway to open the first Triathlon School and hold the first Tunisian Triathlon Championships in September. Libby Burrell, Director, ITU Sport Development, said: Tunisia is the first new national federation to be developed as part of our global sport development programme with BG Group. We are delighted that they have made such progress and that so many young Tunisians are already actively participating in triathlon events. For more information ITU Sport Development click here. Tnez est preparada para unirse al deporte Olmpico ms joven del mundo con el establecimiento de la primera federacin nacional oficial del pas. La Asociacin Deportiva de Triatln (AST) ha sido creada por BG Tnez en cooperacin con la Unin Internacional de Triatln (ITU), su socio global el grupo BG y el Ministerio de Deportes y de la Juventud de Tnez. El desarrollo de AST sabe que uno de los mandatos de los Programas clave para el Desarrollo Deportivo ITU es incrementar el nmero de federaciones nacionales en la ITU en los prximos 8 aos. La nueva organizacin no lucrativa jugar un papel principal en facilitar oportunidades a los tunecinos de todas las edades de participar en el triatln, desde los principiantes hasta los niveles Olmpicos. Las fundaciones de la AST fueron inicialmente creadas en Noviembre del 2006 y la federacin de triatln est ahora en total funcionamiento en su nueva casa en la Universidad Deportiva Sfax. Marcar el estreno de la organizacin, Para indicar el punto de partida de la organizacin, el primer campamento de entrenamiento para los Sub 23 tuvo lugar del 7 al 14 de Julio. Abdelbacet Abdouli, Presidente de AST, quien tambin trabaja para Tnez BG, dijo: Este es un da realmente emocionante para el deporte en Tnez. Nosotros hemos adoptado uno de los crecimientos ms rpidos deportivos y es realmente emocionante pensar las oportunidades que esto puede crear para nuestro pas desde la base a los niveles de la lite Ya podemos ver de este campus de entrenamiento que Tnez tiene un buen talento deportivo. Con la ayuda de Tnez BG y nuestros otros socios, podemos crear nuevas estrellas Olmpicas y proveer de mejores oportunidades deportivas a nuestras comunidades Mohamed Zribi, Manager General de Deportes de Tnez, Ministro de Deportes y Juventud de Tnez dijo: AST comparte nuestros objetivos de promover estilos de vida activos y el logro de objetivos inspiradores a travs del deporte. Estamos encantados de que ellos trabajen estrechamente con nosotros como parte de nuestro deporte para toda la estructura AST ya ha establecido su primer club de triatln llamado Club de Triatln Sfax con 40 atletas de entre 12 y 33 aos de edad. Tnez BG ha proporcionado la oficina y los equipamientos deportivos y muchos de sus empleados han ofrecido su tiempo para apoyar el desarrollo del club. En el nivel de lite, el progreso tambin ha sido gracias a la ITU y al Grupo BG ofreciendo apoyo directamente a algunos de los atletas y entrenadores de ms talento de Tnez. Dos entrenadores ya han asistido al Curso de Nivel 1 de entrenadores ITU en Stellenbosch, Sudfrica y algunos de los atletas tendrn la oportunidad de asistir al Campus para el Desarrollo Continental de frica a finales de este ao. Abdelbacet Abdouli tiene planeado un ao ocupado para AST, con atletas compitiendo en las pruebas de la Copa de frica de Triatln ITU en Namibia, Zimbabwe y Kenia. Tambin est planeado abrir la primera Escuela de Triatln y albergar los primeros Campeonatos Tunecinos de Triatln en Septiembre. Libby Burrell, Directora para el Desarrollo Deportivo ITU, dijo: Tnez es la primera federacin nacional en ser desarrollada como parte de nuestro programa de desarrollo global del deporte con el Grupo BG. Estamos encantados que ellos hayan conseguido tal progreso y que tantos jvenes tunecinos estn ya participando activamente en competiciones de triatln. Para ms informacin sobre el Desarrollo Deportivo de la ITU pulse aqu. {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}