Clarity is needed on what happened - and guidelines must be put in place for future events making it clear where decisions will be made and how they will be communicated
Eyewitness footage captured swimmers entering heavy seas as part of the Youghal Ironman event, The tragedy in which two men lost their lives in the Youghal triathlon last weekend has raised many questions. Unfortunately, it is not clear how or when they might be answered. In particular, the sequence of events leading to the swim section of the event going ahead in rough waters remains unclear.
In the wake of the tragedy a dispute has broken out between Triathlon Ireland, the national body supported by public funds, and Ironman, the US-owned company that organised the event. Triathlon Ireland says it did not sanction the event due to the rough water. Ironman says this was not communicated to it until after the event, a point disputed by Triathlon Ireland.
A clear chronology is needed. What was communicated between the two bodies and the gardaí present at the event? What were competitors told or not told? A number of participants have said that sea conditions were dangerous and posed challenges to safety boats as well as swimmers. The organisers say that those in difficulty were quickly helped. Again, clarity is needed here. The postmortem results, when they become available, will also provide important information.
As a coroner’s inquest could be months away – and will have a particular focus – some way is needed to establish the facts more quickly. Ideally, this would start with clearer details from both Triathlon Ireland and Ironman. Some further independent inquiry may well be needed and Sport Ireland, which oversees publicly funded bodies such as Triathlon Ireland, may have a role here. So far it has remained silent.
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