Initially announced in February and set to be held on November 9 and 10 this year in Patong, the weekend of triathlon activities was to include a series of triathlon events over two days, culminating in the first ever ITU Long Distance Triathlon in Thailand, as part of a series of ITU-sanctioned events around the world.
Today it was announced that “due to reasons out of their control, the organisers feel it is no longer possible to put on the event to global standards specified by ITU in the timeframe remaining.”
Reports that the event was cancelled because of two specific concerns could not immediately be confirmed with the ITU, which is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
However, The Phuket News has received reports from a credible source that the first concern was the levels of pollution in Patong Bay. The ITU is said to have tested the water and found it fell short of the high standards it requires.
The competitors would have swum three kilometres in the bay as part of the triathlon.
The second worry was traffic. The organisers apparently felt that traffic on a Sunday morning would not be a worry, but the ITU was reportedly concerned about safety of competitors during the 80km bicycle and 20km run sections of the race.
A representative of the local organisers, contacted to confirm or deny the reports, declined to add anything beyond the official announcement of cancellation.
Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban defended the town as a suitable venue for the event. He told The Phuket News this morning, “I have never heard about the ITU staging a triathlon here.
“But Patong is to be the venue in 2014 for the Asian Beach Games. If Patong is not good enough, how come the games will be held here next year?”