Europe Triathlon

The President of the European Triathlon Union, Renato Bertrandi, was delighted with the ‘collaborative spirit’ shown at the annual Presidents’ Conference in Frankfurt.

Over 100 delegates attended the conference this weekend, where the ETU outlined its goals and development plans for the upcoming year and beyond.

Thirty-two National Federations were in attendance and many were able to put forward their own development plans to the ETU Executive Board in the hope of securing funding to progress these plans.

The ETU’s event partners, TNatura, Challenge Family and Powerman, also showcased an exciting range of competition which is sure to make 2014 an unforgettable year.

The ETU were also delighted to welcome ITU President, Marisol Casado, to the Conference and she outlined her commitment to working closely together with the ETU.

On Saturday evening, the delegates had the honour of attending an official reception at the historic emperor hall of the “Römer”, in Frankfurt’s Old Town, where they were addressed by Markus Frank, Councillor for Sport in the town of Frankfurt, German Federation President Martin Engelhardt, Renato Bertrandi and Marisol Casado,

Bertrandi said: “It has been a great pleasure to meet the Presidents’ of almost all our Federations at our annual Conference. A big thank you to all who attended. The Conference and LOC seminar were a great success, with 32 National Federations and 20 LOC’s present.

“The topics presented by qualified speakers captured our attention and I am sure they will be useful for all of us in our Federation management. I would like to highlight the friendly and collaborative spirit among us that is the cornerstone for the future of ETU.

“The presence of ITU President Marisol Casado, the Director General Antonio Arimany and the Director of Sport, Gergely Markus, added great value to our Conference.

“I would also like to thank again the German Federation, Martin Engelhardt, Matthias Zöll and all the team for the great support given and allowing us to organise together a successful Conference.”

Dr. Martin Engelhardt, President of the German Triathlon Federation, said: “To welcome the Presidents’ and other representatives of the European Triathlon Federations in Frankfurt is a great honour and a sign that our proposal for more engagement in European triathlon work is welcomed by the ETU.

“We are also proud of the fact, that never before have so many different countries come together to a Presidents' conference. The ETU – with the outstanding assistance of the ITU - managed to integrate a notable amount of new member associations to increase the basis and the standing of triathlon. This clearly proves the good work of the ETU team with Renato Bertrandi as front man.

“The German Triathlon Union would like to contribute more in the promotion of triathlon, in the first instance by finding experienced organisers for international championships. Our country is geographically located in the middle of the enlarged European triathlon community so I am sure we can support positive development.”

The ETU would like to express its thanks to everyone who attended the conference and particularly the German federation for hosting in such superb facilities.

Pictures:

(Top) - All the delegates at the Emperor Hall in Frankfurt.

(Middle) - The ETU Board with ITU President Marisol Casado. From left to right: Eugene Kraus, Kris Piątkowski, Ian Howard, Kathleen Smet, Marisol Casado, Renato Bertrandi, Nina Blakkisrud, Denis Jaeger, Chris Kitchen.