Official statement of the Madrid Triathlon Federation about Challenge Madrid

This morning we published the official statement from Challenge Madrid on its non-inclusion within the Madrid triathlon calendar 2022 the year.

Now the federation itself has published the response in a statement in its web page

"Through this statement, the Madrid Triathlon Federation wants to explain the criteria for the inclusion of tests in its official competition calendar after the statement made by Challenge Madrid today.

 The Madrid Triathlon Federation approves the official annual calendar by its highest management body, its Assembly, made up of 30 representatives of clubs, athletes, officials and coaches.

The assembly is governed by an organizer regulation approved by the Assembly Delegate Commission (in turn made up of 2 clubs, 1 coach, 1 official and 1 athlete), and in turn agreed upon and accepted by the Madrid organizers themselves. The 2022 competition calendar was approved by an absolute majority, without votes against or abstentions, on December 2.

The organizers' regulations establish in article 14: "In the case of MD and LD events, the official calendar will not include events that do not have at least a 15-day separation from others of the same modality", in case of conflict in dates, the same article states:

“The FMTRI will urge the different organizers to reach agreements not to enter into conflicts. In any case, the criteria to be applied in the event of a conflict of interest between tests to determine the final date will be the following, in order of application:

1. National calendar test.
2. Seniority in the organization of the sports event by modality.
3. Priority to the date of the previous year, provided that the test has been organized the previous year.
4. Tests that have been carried out and want to change the date.
5. New tests "

The Half de Madrid, organized by Laetus in 2020 and with 11 years old, requested the date of May 29, Ecotrimad, organized by Enphorma Ocio y Salud in 2020 and with 11 years old, requested June 11.

Both tests are more than 3 years old on those dates. Challenge Madrid requests the date of June 5, not being an international or national test, nor being on the calendars of the European Federation, nor Spanish, and not having been organized in 2020 and 2021.

Faced with this conflict of interest, the Federation's competitions department proposes Challenge Madrid to hold its test in September, to which they flatly refuse and insist on the imposition of a date, regardless of the official regulations.

Faced with this situation, the Assembly decides not to incorporate the test into its official calendar.

The statement refers to the support of Challenge Madrid to the Madrid triathlon when it has not been held for 2 years, plus the year 2019 which was held as an NOT official test.

 When many other organizers have been during the pandemic years (2020, 2021) organizing official competitions, fighting against adversity and in many cases losing money. Challenge Madrid, opportunistically, imposes, without opening itself to other options, to hold a competition in 2022 on the date they decide, showing total disregard for the official regulations, the bodies that govern the Federation and other organizers who have allowed the Triathlon has continued to live in Madrid these last two years.

The Madrid Triathlon Federation states that, if Challenge Madrid decides to leave Madrid, it is not because it is not included in the official calendar of the Madrid Federation, but because it is not included in the international calendar of the European Federation, nor the calendar of The Spanish Federation does not have the support and the corresponding permits from the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council.

This detachment of Challenge Madrid from the Madrid triathlon and its Federation is demonstrated in its reference to the Aranjuez and Ecotrimad Triathlon, organized by a Madrid triathlon club created in 2008, Enphorma Triathlon, Enphorma, with which it has nothing to do and which it does not. The president of this Madrid Triathlon Federation belongs to.