USA Triathlon (USAT) is the national
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken g ...
for the
multisport disciplines of
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the d ...
,
duathlon,
aquathlon and
winter triathlon Winter triathlon is a multisport event involving the continuous and sequential completion of snowshoeing or running, mountain biking or speed skating and cross-country skiing, all on snow. Course distances are set on the day of the event to achieve ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the
World Triathlon
World Triathlon, previously known as the International Triathlon Union (ITU), is the international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and other nonstandard variations. World Triathlon hosts the top l ...
. Rocky Harris is the chief executive officer and Joel Rosinbum is the chair. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races every year with nearly 400,000 members. It is composed of athletes of all ages, coaches, officials, parents and fans working to strengthen multisport.
USA Triathlon coordinates and sanctions grassroots and elite multisport events across the country and works to create interest and participation in those programs.
On the elite level, USA Triathlon is responsible for the selection and training of teams to represent the United States in international competition, including the world championships,
Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...
and
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
and
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
. It conducts national camps and clinics and provides coaching education programs.
On the developmental level, USA Triathlon fosters grassroots expansion of the sport, which is facilitated by the sanctioning of age-group events and triathlon clubs. National Championship events are held for athletes of all ages, including youth and junior athletes. USA Triathlon's marquee event each year is its Age Group National Championships, held annually since 1982. Each year, the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships draws over 5,000 registered participants.
USA Triathlon's mission is to grow and inspire the triathlon community. USA Triathlon's vision is to provide the resources required for all in the triathlon community to reach their full potential.
Membership
USA Triathlon is a member-based organization founded in 1982.
USA Triathlon has seen steady membership growth since 1995, impacted greatly by the addition of triathlon to the Olympic Games in 2000.
Among USA Triathlon's constituent groups are certified coaches, certified race directors, certified officials, and certified clubs.
Initiatives
USA Triathlon is continually creating opportunities to make triathlon accessible to new audiences. In 2012, USA Triathlon created its Splash & Dash Youth Aquathlon Series to encourage children ages 7–15 to participate in multisport. The swim-run events are set distances based on age, and focus on fun and participation rather than competition. Most events are not timed.
In January 2014, USA Triathlon celebrated the overwhelming support from Division I, II and III representatives at the NCAA Convention, who voted to add triathlon an Emerging Sport for Women.
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In 2021, USA Triathlon was honored by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Choice Award, the fourth time the organization has been honored by the USOPC for its diversity and inclusion efforts since 2017.
References
Further reading
External links
USA Triathlon home page
{{Sports governing bodies of the United States
USA
Triathlon, USA
Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Sports in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Triathlon in the United States