Europe Triathlon

What is the current situation in your country regarding Youth and Junior athletes?

How are schools organized and what are the forecasts towards the returning to a normal activity?

What type of physical activity is possible at the moment?

For how many days has sporting activities been limited already and when do you foresee the return to a full training possibility?

How are coaches of Youth and Junior athletes working so that they keep their athletes engaged and involved, and what type of training are they doing?

Switzerland

Swimming pools and sports facilities are currently closed. Each athlete has to train alone or in groups of maximum 5 with 2m distance between each person (according to the rules of the Federal Council).



The federation recommends indoor training for cycling. Some athletes swim in small pools with a rubber band to stay in place. Our recommendation is not to make a big volume and to limit the number of training sessions to 2-3 per week.



The doctors of the federation recommend to limit high intensity training in order not to weaken the immune system.



We are working on defining short and medium term objectives to motivate young people to continue to do something and we insist on the fact that they have the opportunity to work on certain weak points such as mobility. Online sessions are offered to do this.

Schools are still closed.

Teachers are required to teach the subject either through online courses or as homework.

We are currently in the first phase of returning to normal.

On May 11th the compulsory schools will open again and on June 6th the secondary and professional schools should open again.

We’re allowed to go out for sports.

We recommend going out alone so as not to risk contaminating other people.

Athletes can do all the individual activities they want but the federation recommends not to take any risks, not to go to the lake (if it is the case with the supervision of a person), nor to go outside by bicycle (home trainer is recommended).

Switzerland has been in partial containment since 16 March. Since this date the pools have been closed and athletes can no longer swim (except in own backyard pools).

The government announced on the 29th of April that the sport can start again from the 11th of May under strict conditions that each federation has to written in a written concept. Swiss Triathlon is waiting on Swiss Olympic to validate the concept so we can send it to the clubs.

Then every clubs are in charge of organizing the return to sport according to those guidelines. Elite sport will have another concept which allows athletes to train in a different environment.

The federation is currently working on this topic. Swimming is the most challenging part. Each pool manager will decide whether or not to open their facilities. At the moment we do not yet know when we will be able to start swimming again, despite the opening of the sports facilities on May 11th, announced by the government.

The return to normal is difficult to envisage at the moment. At the earliest on June 6th the restrictions will be lifted but this will depend on the evolution of the cases of contamination with the virus. The government will give us further information at the end of the current month.

All competitions or events with more than 1000 people have been forbidden until the end of August. For events with less than 1000 people, the government will make an announcement at the end of the month to see whether or not they will be allowed, and if so, under what conditions.

Situations vary widely.

Some juniors are motivated because they have more time to work on items that they do not normally have time to work on because of time restrictions due to school.

Other athletes do other activities such as hiking, mountain biking and other athletes do training blocks of 2-3 weeks and then do a week where they do what they want, by feeling.

The Junior National Coach gives 4x a week online trainings (2x core, 2x mobility) so that the athletes can have a fixed schedule and can participate in a group event.

Netherlands

At this time, we are in a transition period.

From today (1 May) youth under 12 years are allowed to train at the club with other children. The juniors (age 13 until 19 years) are also allowed to train at the club.

The juniors have to respect different rules likes the 1,5-meter distance. Indoor swimming is not allowed for all.

Schools are also starting after our holiday.

Monday the schools are open for the under 13 years old.

The schools have to respect the 1,5 rules.

The older junior can’t go to school, they follow lessons digital.

If athletes train solo (all ages), then can go outdoor and do running, bike sessions etc.

Swimming in pools is not allowed. Everybody has to follow the guidelines: 1,5 metre etc.

Training in groups is forbidden. Now at this moment see question number 1, we are in a transition so it’s for the younger athletes allowed to train in a group.

Clubs need permission from the government to organize these group training sessions for youngsters.

Now at this moment, 6 weeks sporting activities are limited.

Return to a full training possibility is now are for our Olympic athletes.

They have to respect different rules 1,5 metre, wearing gloves when enter the swimming pool, no use of dressing room, no use of showers etc.

Training is very small groups.

We are trying to keep in touch with our athletes by sessions on internet (Microsoft Teams or Zoom), telephone, WhatsApp and trainingpeaks.

The athletes doing most of the time endurance training.

We are trying to set some challenging goals like a big bike session, to take a photo from different kind of things when they are on the road, or doing a solo time trial bike and run with a ranking with the other athletes.

Ireland

There are some differences between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland.

All are requested to stay at home except for essential travel, food, medical etc.

All are required to only take exercise outside of home once per day.

In the Republic there is currently a limit of 5K radius imposed around home for any exercise.

All indoor training facilities including National Training Centres are closed.

All schools are closed. There is a variation in the way they are operating with some assigned work and some online classes.

There are athletes who are able to plan their time themselves while others have a timetable of classes.

National exams have been cancelled for 2020 with assigned grades due to be awarded.

Current plans are for schools to reopen in September.

Outdoor activity within travel restrictions is possible and we have been lucky to have exceptionally good weather so far. 

All pools are closed and current advice is not to swim in open water, this is to reduce risk of demands on health services.

There are no indoor facilities open. Some of the athletes have had small outdoor swimming pools purchased for them.

In general athletes are able to train quite well apart from swim.

Triathlon has been suspended since the 13th March.

Government planning for a phased easing of restrictions includes the following key points.

At all timeline points Social Distancing rules will remain in place.

• May 18th: Up to 4 people may exercise together.)
• June 8th: Group exercise including team allowed.
• June 29th: Indoor activity allowed.
• July 20th: Swimming pools to reopen where adequate cleaning is possible. Competition possible with limits on numbers.
• August 10th: Close contact sport may resume. Gyms may reopen where guidelines on cleaning may be maintained.

From this we can see that for majority of athletes full training will only be possible from July 20th and then only if swimming pools are able to operate successfully in light of social distancing and cleaning protocols. We have yet to see how this will work in practice.

For our swimming club and triathlon club sessions we anticipate that restrictions on numbers will apply and sessions will need to be tailored to avoid grouping of athletes at ends of pool.

Triathlon Ireland has a number of initiatives in place to ensure the community remains engaged.

Youth and Junior athletes are in contact with the relevant coaching groups through email, Zoom conference calls and direct contact with coaches.

All have access to home trainers and outdoor running so have been able to maintain an extensive training regime.

Additionally, they are engaged in fun challenges and we have had our Junior athletes produce social media content for Triathlon Ireland online channels.

Triathlon Ireland has also set up a Zwift Time Trial league.

Many are taking part in the Cycling Ireland Zwift league as well.

Switzerland

Currently the athletes are handling the situation well.

Some were very frustrated at the beginning but now they have accepted and are working daily on the things they can control.

Mental preparation is done during the mobility yoga sessions.

However, there are a few athletes for whom it is difficult to stay focused every day because the cancellation of competitions (recently Edmonton) is quite a blow to morale. They love to compete and not knowing if there will be a season is starting to take its toll.

We are planning to do webinars to work on different topics that will help the athletes in their development (sleep, recovery, nutrition, mindset, etc.)

We believe that if the situation continues and there is no competition, the mental state of the athletes will be affected.

We are in the process of discussing internally to define a common approach to training if the current situation persists.

In general, we are thinking of proposing to coaches and athletes to focus on one theme each week and to vary the activities as much as possible to stay fit but not only focus on performance.

It will mainly be a question of keeping the mental balance by diversifying the activities and leaving personal freedom for each athlete.

A session planned but not carried out if the mind is not there will be rewarded rather than blamed.

The government does not actively support competitive sport and no differentiation is made between popular and performance sport.

This situation makes it difficult for sports such as swimming to return to training.

Lately the government announced that the elite sport could start training with less restrictions but the guideline are still very unclear.

It’s a work in progress.

We have not yet defined the best strategy to address it.

Organization of Webinars on topics related to personal development, development as an athlete, needs and demands of performance sport. Possibly Q&A with top athletes.

On the competition side possibly propose online events (Zwift or other).

Humanitarian actions supported by institutions with a certain amount of money paid per km done or activities carried out during a defined period.

This money could be used partly for charity and partly as a fund for the development of triathlon in developing countries.

Netherlands

They are doing well; the most are missing the races and missing the other athletes, they train with.

They most difficult is to keep calm and to keep motivated.

That’s depending of the period until the first races.

I think the first races will be in our own country, the next step will be racing in Europe and the last step racing all over the world.

At this time, we have the possibility to train on the bike and we can run.

And when the water is warm enough, we can go swimming in the lakes. So, we can prepare on the first races.

If the period until the first race is too long, the problem of staying motived can be a problem.

At this moment they allowed the younger people to do sports in groups in the organized clubs (but strictly limited with the rules of 1,5-metre distance etc.)

And as an individual you are allowed to go outside.

We (the national federation) are advising the clubs how to start with training with the rules.

We are facilitating the clubs to share good ideas and helping each other.

Maybe more attention and information for the younger athletes.

An interview with a younger athlete instead of elite athlete?

Conference call for the youngsters with specific information for them?

Like how to stay motivated are samples of other athletes how they train?

Ireland

We have been inspired by the positivity of the athletes.

They are actively engaging with us and each other. They are missing the camaraderie, particularly their swim club friends who they would normally see most mornings of the week.

There are some who are concerned about their swimming being impacted and this is where we need to reassure them with examples of athletes returning from injury or re-joining the sport following a long period out for study or other pursuits.

For those living in cities outdoor cycling is not good and for those living in rural countryside areas the restrictions on exercise area seem to impact most as they are not likely to be in contact with other people out cycling or running which is very frustrating.

This will impact athletes in different ways based on current status within the sport.

Where an athlete has experience in the sport and a history of competition, I believe they will not be adversely impacted long term. 

For a swimmer/runner with limited exposure to cycling they are missing the learning experience in a group environment.

For a runner with limited swim experience we want them to gain as much time swimming as possible while they are young.

If the situation continued for an extended period into next year then we may see some potential transfer athletes stay in the current single sport or possibly be lost to sport. 

In the short-term Ireland has very limited draft legal racing and we use group training environments to simulate the demands, so this is severely restricted and may be until the winter.

Prior to the suspension of activities, the Government had produced a National Strategic Plan for Sport which specifically detailed swimming, cycling and running as priority activities.

Triathlon Ireland is in the early stages of developing its 8-year Strategic Plan which will align to Government policy.

The Government are keen to get sport and competition running as soon as feasible as it is seen as impacting on national mood and mental health in addition to physical wellbeing.

Currently Sport Ireland is working with NGBs to formulate plans for government.

Triathlon Ireland has initiated online training specifically aimed at junior athletes and has plans in places for coaches to take online courses.

We are formulating a return to competition policy. We may have to look at formats for events which are outside the traditional in order to get racing up and running initially.

We are planning online education sessions with athlete groups which normally would be done at group training days, including S&C and  nutrition for example.

Club development webinars are also planned which will have a longer-term impact on Youth and Junior Development.

The events which were due to have relays attached are a great idea particularly for those countries where flying is needed to get to events.

Providing a second opportunity to compete at little extra cost is very good.

Over the years a number of Irish athletes have competed in British Superseries events and last year we sent a team to the Belgian Championships which was a great success.

We see a demand for competition which is perhaps a level below ETU Junior Cup where athletes can build their experience. We do not have many draft legal opportunities and there are other federations in a similar situation where they would like their athletes to get some more exposure to other athletes.

I would be particularly interested in seeing a calendar of events from our ETU colleagues with a listing of national events which they might like to see extra athlete numbers and add some competition for their athletes.