Statement from the President of FETRI "We have not been able to respond to the latest challenges posed mainly in Madrid and Marina D'Or."

The president of the Spanish Triathlon Federation, José Hidalgo, has published the following statement on his social networks talking about what happened this weekend

 

 

This is the full statement:

Once finalized this last weekend, to take stock of the last National and International Championships; and my personal one is between bittersweet and of lesson, of what we must do and above all of what can not happen again.

And I do not want these lines to be for the self-promotion, or to praise the many things we have done well in recent weeks, who has attended the different Championships held by the FETRI already has an idea of ​​what has been: Soria, Melilla , Alcobendas, Madrid and Marina D'Or; thousands of triathletes competing in five different venues in just six weeks. I sincerely believe that the overall balance has been good and lived in some of these venues has been unbeatable and the level of satisfaction and services that we have been able to give has been valued by our triathletes and clubs at the time and we have perceived this.

However, this does not compensate us, nor should it be worthwhile when, from the FETRI, we have not been able to respond to the latest challenges posed mainly in Madrid and Marina D'Or.

They say that whoever makes a lot also makes more mistakes; and we can be accused of many things but certainly not lack of ambition, or want to continue raising the level and services in our Championships. If it hurts me to be confused wanting to make Championships as universal and participatory as possible, with the hackneyed comment of "make cash" I will not convince those who are not willing to listen, but that is not the goal of FETRI, Sometimes we force deadlines and places because we try to keep anyone out and we want everyone who wants to participate to do so.

Cash-in does not fit with being from the European countries with the lowest enrollments, nor have registration fees lower than many popular tests; or not having raised the quotas I believe in the last four years, nor does it have to do with the increasing investment in services, details and homogenization of Championships. If I agree that we can not grow to grow, or force if we do not have the means and resources in a way to meet our triathletes as they deserve. We are wrong, sure we are, but our first objective is the Triathlete; the FETRI does not share profits, it tries to generate values ​​for its triathletes.

In which we have been wrong, or have not been up to the task:

- Embarking in six weeks; in organizing five first level Championships (the electoral calendar this year conditioned our calendar since all the City Council wanted it before the elections) this should not happen again, because in the end we did not finish closing and analyzing a Championship and We were already embarked on the next one.

- Trying to keep anyone out and without contesting their Championship; deadlines and places must be reviewed; the intention to be good is not operative or effective.

- In Madrid it is necessary to change things for next year, so that our federated ones have more and better services; we have resolved the theme of the European Cup and the popular test; but we were not successful with the qualifier this year and for the 2016 the federated athlete has to recover the level of services, spaces and especially the protagonism in the central area of ​​the competition and with races for them, we have it clear, very clear for next year; We already had the week of the competition but it was not possible to make these changes and we are the most critical in this regard.

- We are immersed in a brutal technological and computer change, because the needs and demands of this sport require it, we know where we want to reach with this change and that is why we are working with the best, so that this level of services in the technology. The problem of this moment of transition we are suffering more than we would like; but it is extremely complicated to integrate a database management (old) with the system of updating licenses between the FETRI and the autonomous and also that everything is integrated into a new and multifunctional platform that facilitates and more services to participants.

The problem with this is that we are doing it in these weeks of so much activity and obviously the integration of everything is generating problems of coexistence between the old and the new and as a consequence these problems in the system of inscriptions and classifications. When we have it ready, it will surely be something that allows us to give more and better, but in this period of transition and coexistence is generating not a few problems in the computer and incidents of the Championships. Maybe we should have done it at the end of the season, but it's true that we wanted to have it ready in the second part of our triathlon calendar to be able to use it already this year. I hope that all these disadvantages are rewarded in the short term.

- I think that nobody liked the mobile transitions where the triathlete leaves his things and later from the organization he is picked up to take him to another area; I never liked this and experiences like this confirm this opinion. Never again this type of solutions; the triathlete has to have his space in the pits, the necessary one and all the time that the test lasts.

I really feel the incidents that this has generated and can only say that it will be very difficult and because of extreme need that the triathlete does not have from beginning to end his space in the future.

- As for the first buoy in the men's relay, it is a technical issue and I think that as such it has to be valued and resolved for the future; without exempting those who did not comply with the regulation (the interpretation of this must sometimes be subject to common sense) if I believe that this was not an advantage sought, but rather the need for the funnel that occurred in the first buoy, I sincerely believe that this did not alter the final result and it was not something premeditated by the triathletes and with this I do not pretend to justify the irregularity, but rather to verify what I personally saw in that exit.

Once again we have to learn lessons for improvement and the main one is the placement of the first buoy in such short tests and especially as improving the safety and control in the water; the technical committee and the body of technical delegates have to analyze and proceed.

I have spoken personally with many triathletes and read many of their comments on networks in recent days; and in most of the comments I can not if I do not find reasons to take into account and teachings for the future; the triathlete we already know is very demanding, because it is part of the idiosyncrasy of the sport and the levels to be able to reach a Spanish Championship are increasingly difficult and demanding and therefore we must be up to that requirement. I know that most of these lines are not enough and I certainly understand it; The illusion and dedication that means to arrive at a national test justify it.

I know that the FETRI people can not be asked for more because their level of self-demand and commitment is first level; but if we have to resize our structure of competitions and adapt it to the level of growth of the sport, because what we can not do is die of success, we can not do that.

I would not like these lines to be understood neither as demagogy, nor as justification, I just wanted to expose the reasons for things from a critical point of view and that can come to understand that when we make mistakes, we learn to improve.

And I can not say goodbye without sharing my satisfaction to see the excitement and expectation generated by our Championships as these weeks and see the joys and the value that different winners give to what has been achieved; I am not surprised because without a doubt the level in all the categories is incredible and being alone in the dispute indicates the very high sport level of all those who participate.

To all, apologies for not having arrived where we proposed and deserves the triathlete; do not doubt that this week and to face the rest of the season we have to do an internal critical analysis to continue offering the level of services we want to give and that the Championships of Spain are perceived as very special moments by all.

And to all the winners congratulations and enjoy what has been achieved

José Hidalgo Martín