IRONMAN EMEA CEO, Thomas Dieckhoff to depart IRONMAN after successful tenure

Thomas Dieckhoff, a former CPG senior manager is leaving his position as CEO EMEA at IRONMAN after three years. This depature might be a first indicator of an internal reorganization of World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), at least their EMEA offices, which are located nearby Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and might shift mid-term towards Infront's HQ (Switzerland) or the Southern area of Germany, e.g. Munich.

Thomas Dieckhoff to depart IRONMAN after successful tenure 

IRONMAN announced today that Thomas Dieckhoff will be leaving the company as of January 1, 2016 after a successful three years as Chief Executive Officer of IRONMAN Europe, Middle East & Africa. "I would like to thank all of my colleagues at IRONMAN for their great support during the last three years. Together we succeeded in driving business results and the image of IRONMAN in EMEA to new horizons. The brand and the IRONMAN EMEA organization are now efficiently established to continue their success as part of the Wanda Group as they help even more athletes enjoy the unique experiences that IRONMAN races offer," said Dieckhoff.
"We thank Thomas for his years of service. EMEA has experienced incredible growth under his has leadership and we wish him all the best in his future,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of IRONMAN. An announcement regarding new regional leadership will be forthcoming. 

Thomas Dieckhoff verlässt IRONMAN nach drei erfolgreichen Jahren, IRONMAN EMEA verliert Führungskraft

Thomas Dieckhoff, ehemaliger Seniormanager aus der Konsumgüterindustrie verlässt nach rund 3 Jahren die World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) als Geschäftsführer EMEA. Der Weggang dürfte ein erster Indikator einer weiteren Neuorganisation der WTC sein. Die Geschäftsräume für Europa, den Mittleren Osten und Afrika (EMEA) liegen geografisch vergleichbar nahe am Sitz von Infront in der Schweiz und Tochtergesellschaften in München.

Thomas Dieckhoff verlässt IRONMAN nach drei erfolgreichen Jahren 

Thomas Dieckhoff wird IRONMAN mit dem 1. Januar 2016 und nach drei erfolgreichen Jahren als CEO von IRONMAN Europe, Middle East & Africa verlassen. "Ich möchte mich bei meinen Kollegen von IRONMAN für ihre harte Arbeit und Unterstützung in den vergangenen drei Jahren bedanken. Wir waren gemeinsam nicht nur wirtschaftlich sehr erfolgreich, sondern haben auch unser Image auf ein neues Niveau gehoben. Unsere Marke und unsere Organisation in Europa, dem Mittleren Osten und Afrika sind bereit, als Teil der Wanda Group weiterhin so erfolgreich zu wirken, damit noch mehr Athleten die Einzigartigkeit eines IRONMAN-Rennens erleben können", sagt Dieckhoff. 

"Wir möchten uns bei Thomas Dieckhoff für seine Arbeit bedanken. Unter seiner Führung hat IRONMAN in Europa, dem Mittleren Osten und Afrika unglaubliches Wachstum erfahren dürfen. Wir wünschen ihm für seine Zukunft alles Gute", fügt Andrew Messick, CEO von IRONMAN hinzu.  Eine Bekanntgabe der Nachfolge erfolgt in Kürze.

International Triathlon Union releases 2016 Competition Rules

ITU recently published the 2016 ITU Competition Rules, which will take effect on January 15, 2016. While several changes were made, ITU would like to direct your attention to some important modifications.

The drafting distances has been adjusted to 10 metres for events that are standard distance and shorter. The drafting distance for middle and long distances will be 12 metres.

Following the outcome of research from the Portsmouth University, water safety standards have been lowered from 13C to 12C.

Rules for appeals have been updated to reflect the decision that an independent Arbitration Tribunal will review cases.

Beginning in 2017, a pre-participation evaluation report, including ECG, will be mandatory for all junior athletes.

Inclusion of the possibility of a rolling start system rules for Age Group Long Distance events, which eliminates a mass start to avoid potentially dangerous swimming situations.

ITU has adopted the IOC guidelines on transgender athletes.

Vision impaired Paratriathletes will now be required to wear blackout glasses throughout the competition.

Vision impaired Paratriathletes (B1) will now have a standardized tether during the swim, produced and provided by ITU

Clarification on the use of uniforms and sponsors logos for Elite, Paratriathletes and Age Groupers has been included.

ITU has now included Aquabike rules into its competition rulebook.

1. ITU Competition Rules Approved by the ITU Executive Board, in November 2015 (pdf)