USA Triathlon Announces Additional Safe Return to Multisport Resources

April 6, 2021

New guidelines for contact tracing and volunteer participation; Safe Return town hall set for Wednesday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced additional resources as part of its Safe Return to Multisport initiative, a comprehensive and multi-pronged set of racing, training and event production guidelines for the multisport community to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. The new resources include Guidelines for COVID-19 Contact Tracing, Guidelines for Volunteers, and a Safe Return to Racing Town Hall open to the public this Wednesday, April 7.

“USA Triathlon collaborated with world-class medical experts and leaders at all levels of the sport to develop useful resources to empower our community to get back to racing safely,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “Many towns and venues across the U.S. approved USA Triathlon-sanctioned races as the first events to be held during the pandemic. This was due in large part to the stringent safety protocols our race directors were ready to present to local authorities, as well as the outdoor and physically distanced nature of the sport itself. USA Triathlon sanctioned hundreds of races across the U.S. in the last year, and there have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases among our participants associated with those events.”

About Safe Return to Multisport

The Safe Return to Multisport initiative was first launched in May 2020 and has been continually updated and expanded as circumstances change. It is developed in coordination with experienced race directors, medical experts, certified coaches, club directors, officials, athletes and endurance sport leaders. It is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as sport-specific guidelines from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and World Triathlon. The resources are meant to be used in conjunction with federal, state and local protocols — including mass gathering thresholds and physical distancing requirements.

Safe Return to Racing Town Hall — Wednesday, April 7

USA Triathlon and Triathlete will co-host a Safe Return to Racing Town Hall on Wednesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. ET, designed to help athletes of all levels plan their return to racing in 2021. The virtual discussion is free and open to the public, and will be livestreamed on USA Triathlon’s Facebook page. It will provide an overview of USA Triathlon’s Safe Return to Multisport guidelines and will feature industry professionals covering various topics — from getting back to training safely while managing expectations, to travel suggestions and what athletes should expect on race day. For more details, click here.

Contact Tracing and Volunteer Guidelines

The new resource Guidelines for COVID-19 Contact Tracing, primarily intended for race directors, outlines the actions that should be taken when a COVID-19 infection is identified among an athlete, spectator, official, volunteer or staff member at an event. This includes a step-by-step process for identifying and notifying close contacts, as well as a review of CDC-recommended quarantine, testing and isolation procedures.

The Guidelines for Volunteers document is provided as a resource for individuals who volunteer at multisport events. This includes a self-screening checklist, a review best practices to mitigate exposure and spread COVID-19, and a set of do’s and don’ts for volunteer participation. Volunteers are vital to the execution and implementation of multisport events. To learn more about local and national volunteer opportunities, click here.

Additional Resources

In addition to the Volunteer Guidelines and Contact Tracing documents, resources also include a Safe Return to Multisport overview; Return to Racing Recommendations for Athletes; Return to Racing Recommendations for Race Directors; Return to Racing Guidelines for Officiating; Recommendations for Organized Mass Gatherings; a Return to Racing Training Program; and Travel Like a Pro, a set of best practices for athletes traveling to events nationally and internationally. All resources are available for download at usatriathlon.org/safe-return.

USA Triathlon continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19, while following the guidance of local authorities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), when making decisions regarding the status of USA Triathlon events and programs.

About USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,000 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

– usatriathlon.org –