Officials
What equipment will I receive?
Once you have successfully completed your Local Technical Official knowledge tester you will receive the essential items for your role - hat, whistle, lanyard, notepad and pen. When you have completed your shadow assignments, the logbook reports submitted and you have reached the required standard, you will then be sent your certificate, waterproof jacket, polo shirt and rucksack.
Motorcycle Officials will initially receive the hi-vis vest, whistle, lanyard, notepad, pen and a copy of the Competition Rules; upon completion of the course the technical polo shirt, hat, screenblade and bungee cords will be sent out.
How will I be allocated to events?
The Officials Management System is used to allocate Technical Officials to events. It is recommended that Technical Officials review the new events regularly, and register their interest to attend. Regional Officials Coordinator will allocate Technical Official(s) from those who have registered their interest.
Sometimes a Technical Official will be sourced directly by the Event Organiser. This could be because they have trained a Technical Official specifically for their events or because a Technical Official has officiated the event in previous years. The confirmation of these appointments still needs to be done via the Officials Management System.
If you have any questions relating to the allocation of officials to the events in your region please contact your Regional Officials Coordinator.
Motorcycle Officials are allocated in the same way using the Officials Management System, and appointments are made by the Regional Motorcycle Coordinators. Once the Motorcycle Officials have been confirmed, the Event Registration Form must be submitted by the Event Organiser in advance of the event, so that the Motorcycle Officials are appropriately insured.
What should I wear?
Please wear your British Triathlon kit at all permitted events, with the technical polo shirt or waterproof jacket as the top layer. Where possible, wear any additional clothing that keeps within the colour scheme of the British Triathlon branding - blacks and greys are preferable for trousers or shorts, and blacks, greys and whites are preferable for base layers. Any dark, neutral colours however will be absolutely fine.
It is important that you look professional as you are representing British Triathlon and you want to ensure that the competitors and spectators are left with a good impression. Don't forget - you will be on your feet for long periods of time and the weather in Britain can be changeable so wear comfortable, appropriate footwear!
How do I claim my expenses?
You should claim your expenses directly from the Event Organiser of the event you are attending, using the guidelines of the British Triathlon Expenses Policy.
What do I need to include in my race report?
You should provide feedback to the Event Organiser that will help them maintain or improve the standard of their event. All points in your report should be discussed with the organiser during your post-race debrief - nothing included should be a surprise. Try to present this in a positive manner and avoid being negative.
Praise the good points of an event and explain why you think they are good, as well as highlighting elements that could be improved with suggestions as to how they could be improved for future events.
If you think there are any Health and Safety issues you should include them in your report, but as above, you should have discussed these with the Event Organiser during the event to enable them to be rectified/reduced before an incident can occur.
What addition information do I need to know before a Paratriathlon?
If you're officiating at an event where paratriathletes will be taking part you should be aware of their presence in the race, however if the race is not specifically a paratriathlon event the rules should be applied only in an advisory capacity unless there are safety concerns.
For specific paratriathlon events specific rules will need to be applied to ensure that the race is fair and safe for all competitors. Before officiating at a paratriathlon familiarise yourself with Section 17 of the British Triathlon Competition Rules so you are aware of the specific rules for this event format. If you have any queries related to Paratriathlon events please contact the Events Team.
If an event is not permitted with British Triathlon should I officiate at it?
British Triathlon strongly recommend that you do not officiate at events which have not received the appropriate Home Nation event permit as we cannot guarantee the standard of the event, including the safety to yourself and the competitors. Additionally, you will not be covered by the insurance provided through your membership at events which are not permitted.
What is classed as a 'judgement call'?
Judgement calls include, but are not limited to:
- Drafting
- Dangerous riding
- Unsporting conduct
- Littering
I am a technical official or am thinking of becoming one, do I need membership?
British Triathlon support the development of high quality, confident and competent Technical Officials. Technical Officials are hugely important to the sport of triathlon and that’s why we take extra care of our Technical Officials by providing them with free Technical Official membership. If you think you’re entitled to free Technical Official Membership, please get in touch with our Events Team at events@britishtriathlon.org
