Even though he lives in Canada, Paul Weston still has a British passport, but that has been of little help as he tries to get himself organized to race at Ironman 70.3 Weymouth later this year. In June Weston received notification from the organizers of the race in Weymouth that British Triathlon has changed its insurance requirements. International athletes would no longer be able to get a one-day membership so they could be covered to compete in the event, and they would have to prove that they had a personal insurance policy that provides £5million in public liability.
Weston spent days reaching out to Canadian insurance companies to try and get that coverage, only to find that there aren’t any that offer it. Triathlon Canada’s membership insurance doesn’t cover Ironman or International events (unless you are racing for the national team), either. According to race organizers, USA Triathlon’s insurance won’t cover its athletes for the British races, either.
How covered are you with regular travel insurance at triathlon events?
It’s not only athletes registered for the Weymouth event who suddenly find themselves in a bind – we also heard from an athlete who is competing at Ironman Wales in September, who has reached out to British Triathlon, Ironman Wales and her own provincial association in Canada. No one has been able to offer a solution.
Ironman confirmed to us that they are working hard to find a fix for this issue, as is British Triathlon. We reached out to the media team at British Triathlon for comment, but have not heard back. (We’ll update this story if there is any response.)
According to the latest correspondence Weston received from British Triathlon on Tuesday, some federations, including USA Triathlon, are now looking to provide enhanced liability insurance for their athletes, which should allow those athletes to compete at the British events. We’ll continue to monitor this story and provide any updates as they become available.
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