Updated: British Triathlon insurance rules block international athletes from competing at Ironman events in the UK

This story is updated with a statement from British Triathlon

Even though he lives in Canada, Paul Weston still has a British passport, but that has been of little help as he tries to get himself organized to race at Ironman 70.3 Weymouth later this year. In June Weston received notification from the organizers of the race in Weymouth that British Triathlon has changed its insurance requirements. International athletes would no longer be able to get a one-day membership so they could be covered to compete in the event, and they would have to prove that they had a personal insurance policy that provides £5million in public liability.

Weston spent days reaching out to Canadian insurance companies to try and get that coverage, only to find that there aren’t any that offer it. Triathlon Canada’s membership insurance doesn’t cover Ironman or International events (unless you are racing for the national team), either. According to race organizers, USA Triathlon’s insurance won’t cover its athletes for the British races, either.

How covered are you with regular travel insurance at triathlon events?

It’s not only athletes registered for the Weymouth event who suddenly find themselves in a bind – we also heard from an athlete who is competing at Ironman Wales in September, who has reached out to British Triathlon, Ironman Wales and her own provincial association in Canada. No one has been able to offer a solution.

Ironman confirmed to us that they are working hard to find a fix for this issue, as is British Triathlon. Here’s the statement we received from British Triathlon on the issue:

Non-UK residents racing in the UK at a British Triathlon permitted event are required, in alignment with our published Competition Rules, to have public liability insurance (sometimes known as personal liability insurance) in place to a minimum cover level of £5m.

British Triathlon Membership and Race Pass, both of which provide £15m of public liability insurance to race participants, is unfortunately available only to UK residents at the present time. 

Non-UK residents must source their own insurance, which may come from either purchasing: 

1. Membership from their native National Triathlon Federation. Such membership needs to cover the member for overseas racing in the UK for public liability (or personal liability) to a minimum level of £5m
2. Their own insurance policy, in a similar way to how travel insurance is purchased.

 It is the responsibility of the participant to check their insurance, however obtained, provides the suitable type and level of cover. British Triathlon and our permitted event organisers are not qualified to check insurance documentation.

At the moment, British Triathlon can’t signpost non-UK residents to a suitable insurer. However, this is something we are working on alongside other federations and World Triathlon and we very much hope to be able to provide this in the near future.

According to the latest correspondence Weston received from British Triathlon on Tuesday, some federations, including USA Triathlon, are now looking to provide enhanced liability insurance for their athletes, which should allow those athletes to compete at the British events. We’ll continue to monitor this story and provide any updates as they become available.