Triathlon Menen is closing after four editions
The organization brought the European Half Triathlon Championship to Menen on the last weekend of August. 1,800 athletes from 35 countries took part. In 2020, the triathlon was on the calendar for the first time. The sports event was created as a farewell to local hero and triathlon world champion Frederik Van Lierde. He was one of the three organizers behind the competition in Menen.
“No choice of the heart”
There are several reasons for the provisional end of the race. On the one hand, stress plays a role. “We received an offer from the European association to enter into a long-term partnership, but we did not like that,” says organizer Henk Wekking. “We are not an organizational agency, but three people with busy jobs.”
The upcoming major infrastructure works such as the Leiwerken and the duplication of N58 also influenced the decision. “It is mainly a choice of the mind, not of the heart,” says Wekking. “It would be difficult to match what we have already achieved – and we are proud of that. So this is anything but a negative story.”