Communiqué de presse

Violent storms in the Alpes Maritimes :
Cancellation of the Open Race as well as the ETU Triathlon European Clubs Championships

Due to the storms that have hit the region, the Open Triathlon Race, which is being run alongside the French Age Group Championships and the European Masters games as well as ETU Triathlon European Clubs Championships have been cancelled.

All emergency services were called up but safety could not be guaranteed. The Préfecture therefore announced that sporting activities could not take place and all events scheduled for Sunday have been cancelled.

Philippe Lescure, Président de la Fédération Française de Triathlon : « It is a great disappointment for us and of course for the athletes who have been training for many months in advance of this event. We were hoping to host the very first test event for the European Club Championships; a relay event with the best European triathletes. We know of course that triathlon is an open-air event that can be put at risk by the elements but of course safety is our upmost priority and the storms of the past 24 hours make it simply impossible to allow a triathlon event to go ahead.

European Triathlon Union President, Renato Bertrandi added, “This is a great tragedy and our sympathies lie with those families who have suffered loss in the region. I know that triathlon can take place in quite extreme conditions but what has happened here during the past 24 hours has been much more extreme than anyone could have expected. The local authorities took a very difficult decision and we must always place the safety of our athletes and the spectators at the top of our priorities. There has been an enormous amount of work already done by the Fédération Française de Triathlon and with this solid foundation I am confident that we will at some point see the Championship event that we had all hoped for.”