Two days after the fatal accident at the Hamburg Triathlon, the organizer Ironman Germany made a more detailed statement for the first time. It was right not to stop the race.
“The continuation of the race was seen as the safest and most respectful way for the athletes,” Ironman Germany boss Oliver Schiek told NDR. “This decision was made by me together with the local authorities and the race director. We didn’t have to consult our colleagues in the USA about it.”
danger of others security risks
On the bike course of the Ironman European Championship, a support motorcycle collided head-on with an amateur triathlete on Sunday. The 70-year-old motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident, and the 26-year-old athlete was taken to hospital with serious injuries. A 50-year-old cameraman on the motorcycle suffered shock.
“Abandoning the race could have led to further safety risks and challenges,” Schiek continued. Therefore, it was decided to “allow the athletes to continue the race. Every athlete on the course was completing a personal journey that may have started many months ago.”
DTU President Martin Engelhardt had already defended the organizers in an interview with NDR on Monday and defended the decision as “right”: There were more than 2,000 people on the route at the time: Of course, it had to be weighed up “whether one wasn’t planned abrupt stop of the event no more dangers” would be produced.
Close cooperation with the authorities
The organizers did not want to comment on the criticism from numerous athletes such as Olympic champion Jan Frodeno that too many motorcycles on a bike course that was sometimes too narrow would have endangered the safety of the participants.
“The police investigation is currently underway and we are working closely with the local authorities to clarify the events that led to the accident,” it said.
European Championship 2024 in Hamburg
The Ironman brand is owned by the World Triathlon Corporation, based in the USA. It organizes and markets the 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.2 km run races worldwide.
Ironman Germany GmbH is the German branch of the organization. Your contract with the city of Hamburg for an annual Ironman in Germany’s second largest city expires in 2024. A spokeswoman for the company rejected speculation that the event in Hamburg would end prematurely: “Next year, the Ironman European Championship Hamburg will take place on June 2, 2024.”
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Hamburg Journal | 06/06/2023 | 19:30 o’clock
