Libby Burrell, former ITU Development Director, Lausanne - 2016

World Triathlon is committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide and seeks to support these goals through strong relationships with Continental Confederation and National Federation members, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme from grassroots to a high-performance level. World Triathlon has a number of established sport development initiatives that address the needs of young and elite athletes alike, with particular focus on those from emerging and developing federations. These initiatives form the foundations upon which National Federations, particularly developing and emerging federations, can build an effective athlete development pathway – a key element of any long-term performance sports strategy. Such a pathway is so important as federations, athletes and their coaches strive for sustained competitive excellence at all levels of the sport.

Vision

Support the development of the sport through the empowerment of national federations and regions, in particular those with limited human and financial resources, through a set of strategic operations such as mentoring programmes, regular surveys and feedback that carefully addresses all areas of development.

Mission

• To create, support, and enhance, sustainable athlete and coach development programs worldwide
• To empower NGB’s to develop self sufficient programs that strive for sustained competitive excellence on all levels

Goals

• Offer a balanced development programme to all continental confederations to include support for High Performance, Junior, and Regional Grassroots Programmes.
• Increase participation in the sport of triathlon around the world, from community events to World Cup and World Championship races.
• Create and maintain viable partnerships with National Federations, Continental Confederations, Olympic Solidarity, and other organizations.
• Ensure athletes receive a consistently positive experience in the sport by recognizing and supporting global coaching education, mentoring (coach and athlete), and athlete development programmes.

Action Plans

• Monitor, assess, and evaluate athlete and coach development programme success (long term).
• Improve communication on all levels.
• Develop, fund, and implement a Long-Term Strategic Plan in sport development.
• Assist with internal governance where needed.