Iván Raña and Gómez Noya ask for changes in the FETRI

Javier Gómez Noya and Iván Raña offered a press conference on Monday accompanied by their respective coaches, Omar González and César Varela, and the president of the Galician Triathlon Federation, Luis Piña, to demand a change in the technical direction of the federation Spanish. The five lead a movement called Initiative for the Future of Triathlon (IFTRI), with which they will present their candidacy to the assembly of the national federation that is elected next Monday.

"Our athletes and our technicians deserve a different treatment than what is being given," said Luis Piña at the beginning of the appearance. The head of the Galician triathlon was the first to take the floor to express his dissatisfaction with the work carried out by the technical director of the FETRI, Juan Rodríguez, since his appointment by José Hidalgo in the 2008, a shared opinion both by Iván Raña and Javier Gómez Noya and their coaches.

"I think that the experience we have should be taken advantage of and we should be listened to, and instead it is moving away from us," lamented Raña, who stressed that both he and Javier have decided to take a step forward thinking about the future of triathlon, since they they would not have any problem in going ahead on the sidelines thanks to the support they have at the private level.

Gómez Noya subscribed the words of the order, expressing his desire for change so that "Spain is not a zero to the left on a technical level on the international scene." Then, his coach, Omar González, took the floor to clarify that his decision to present himself to the assembly "is not for our own sake, we do it because we feel obliged". According to his words, his goal is "to distribute resources better".

The coach of Iván Raña, César Varela, was the toughest with the current coach, whom he accused of "mistreating and charging the entire elite" of the national triathlon since he took office. In addition, criticized that Juan Rodriguez present as merit of the national federation the successes of athletes such as Ivan Raña and Javier Gomez Noya, who in recent years have worked outside this body.

In the next elections, the current president of the FETRI, José Hidalgo, will have as rival the head of the Castilian-Leonese federation, Amancio del Castillo. None of the five wanted to openly position themselves for any candidate, although they did recognize that the latter had shown their support and their intention to have their opinion if they reached the presidency. Regarding Hidalgo, they expressed that they would be willing to support him if he accepts to dispense with Juan Rodríguez, although they were skeptical about this possibility.