World Triathlon elects a NEW PRESIDENT, and Chris McCormack has an IMPORTANT message for him

World Triathlon has elected the third President in its history, and Spain’s Antonio Fernandez Arimany is now tasked with changing the sport for the better.

On Monday afternoon in Torremolinos, Arimany was chosen to succeed Marisol Casado as her 12-year reign at the helm came to an end following Grand Finals weekend in Andalucia.

Now the real work begins for the new leader of the sport in terms of Olympic-distance racing, with many believing there is much to be done. One of them is two-time IRONMAN World Champion and supertri co-founder Chris McCormack.

Chris McCormack on new President remit

The Aussie star told TRI247 what he believes should be the remit of the incoming President as he looks to reshape the sport.

“I think the new incoming World Triathlon president needs to have triathlon at the centre of his attention across all facets of the sport. The sport is bigger than just high-performance Olympic racing. I know at a World Triathlon level that is their primary focus, which is important, but I think from a sports perspective and building the sport from the youth up, we need to do some change.

“And I think the new World Triathlon president needs to have the courage to bring in those changes and realise when things are and aren’t working, and have the courage to be disruptive enough to save your sport and push it in the direction it needs to be in order to be a true professional sport where athletes can make a living and look after themselves. At the moment, we’re an elite sport.”

Arimany on new role

Arimany for his part is already promising a new era for the sport. In his acceptance speech, he said: “I am truly honoured to accept this responsibility and to lead our beloved sport into a new era. This is an exciting time for triathlon, and I am ready to embrace the challenges ahead. Together, we will work to elevate triathlon to the next level, ensuring that our athletes, coaches, and communities have the support they need to thrive.”

He added: “I promise to make the changes needed to make this organisation even greater. It is essential that we work together with National Federations, Continental Confederations, and all members of the triathlon community. By fostering strong partnerships, we can continue the great governance of our organisation and establish new horizons for the sport.

“Together, we will create an environment where everyone can succeed and where the spirit of triathlon flourishes.”

More key World Triathlon appointments

A slew of other key World Triathlon appointments were also announced, with the following all elected to World Triathlon Committees and Commissions:

Audit, Risk and Integrity Committee
Beth Friberg (SWE), Victoria Brumfield (USA), Jamie Gordon (GBR), Marc D’Hooge (LUX), Mounir Benyarmak (MAR)

Credentials Committee
Alicia Garcia Perez (ESP), Winston To (CAN), Eligio Cervantes (MEX), Reita Kanagarajah (MAS), Liangjie Li (CHN), Mohammad Hojaji (IRI), George Selman (LBN)

Legal and Constitution Committee
Johan Druwe (BEL), Shawn Rempel (CAN), Jan Sterk (RSA), Suzanne Tang (MAS), Sylvia Borunda Firth (USA), Tamimount Karim (ALG)

Medical and Anti-Doping Committee
Marie-Claude Gregoire (CAN), Humberto Aguilar (MEX), Luis Coira Nieto (ESP), Sergio Migliorini (ITA), Dana Shubat (SYR), Maria Jose Fraile Villarrasa (URU), Abdelrahman Yasser Hosny (EGY)

Multisport Committee
Tomoko Wada (JPN), Olivier Henz (BEL), Stephen Bourdeau (CAN), Jianqiu Qin (CHN), Mohamed Sayed (EGY), Melody Tan (MAS), Debbie Clarke (GBR)

National Coaches Committee
Kate Murray (RSA), Stephen Sheldrake (NZL), Hideki Yamane (JPN), Adele De La Rey (NAM), Claudia Beristain (MEX), Rodrigo Milazzo (BRA), Matteo Torre (ITA)

Para Triathlon Committee
Beryl Campbell (RSA), Yannick Borseaux (FRA), Masamitsu Tomikawa (JPN), Grant Darby (CAN), Nadia Ali (EGY), Christine Palmquist (USA), Samuel Garcia Fraile (ESP)

Technical Committee
Jorge Garcia (ESP), Kiriyo Suzuki (JPN), Janice Ryan (CAN), Jamie Cadaval (MEX), Bela Varga (HUN), Azouz Assia (ALG), Ahmed Saad Allah (EGY)

Women’s Committee
Duncan Hough (GBR), Yelena Kun (UZB), Zhang Chen (CHN), Saliha Yuksel Tama (TUR), Graciela Jurado (BOL)

Tribunal
Monique Houten (BEL), Barry Lipp (AUS), Angelo Rigopoulos (ITA), Julia Wilkes (CAN)
The Mediterranean Triathlon Association and Association des Pays Francophone de Triathlon were approved as new Associate Members.