British Triathlon leads the way with groundbreaking pregnancy policy
Age group deferral policy the first of its kind for triathlon governing bodies
Pregnant age group triathletes representing Great Britain at championship races can now defer their place on the team for up to two years.
The policy was developed with input from age group athletes. It addresses situations in which women become pregnant or lose their baby after qualifying for a championship team.
The intent is to provide women with the security to return to training when they are ready and avoid being pressured by imposed restrictions.
The new policy follows on the heels of what was developed for the British Triathlon World Class Programme. It allows elite athletes competing for their country to take the appropriate amount of time off and still be able to return at the top of their sport.
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Female elite athlete expresses support
European Triathlon Champion, Vicky Holland, emphasized the importance of this policy for all women.
“As someone who struggled to regain entry into races post-partum, I know first-hand how important it is to be able to push pause or defer a race entry while both pregnant and in the period after giving birth,” she told British Triathlon.
“Women should not be expected to give up on their goals and ambitions, nor forfeit more than necessary in order to grow their families.”
Age group athlete input crucial to policy development
“We want to thank the age group athletes that helped us develop and refine this policy,” said British Triathlon Age Group Manager, Verity Miles on the organization’s website.
“We hope it will enable more women who want to be in the Age Group Team and become mothers to not have to choose between the two.”
The request to defer a place on the team can be initiated for up to two years past the date of the birth or loss of a child.
The conversation has been an ongoing one in the sport of triathlon. Sports federations have been slow to implement pregnancy policies that favour women.
The move from British Triathlon to extend its policy to age group mothers sets an important precedent.
Female athlete speaks out
British age group triathlete Lauren Weston featured in British Triathlon’s news release about the policy. As a three-time qualifier for Team Great Britain, she had to navigate her pregnancy in a time before the latest update, missing out on the 2024 Triathlon World Championships.
“I knew having a baby would bring compromises in my life, but I hadn’t quite realized I could miss three seasons of competing,” said Weston.
“Understandably I was was absolutely delighted to hear the pregnancy deferral policy was being introduced. Having trained up until 38 weeks pregnant, knowing I could get back to racing kept me fit and physically and mentally throughout my pregnancy and led me to have a very successful birth.”
It remains to be seen if other federations will follow suit. Triathlon has always been known as a sport of equality among men and women, with equal prize purses and shared racing events. That bodes well for the future of pregnancy policies, but that bun is still in the oven.