Triathlon WA (TWA) is committed to providing a safer and more inclusive environment for our community. As an organisation we are always looking for ways to improve our practices for the benefit of our members and participants. As such, TWA is committed to making the following changes in relation to Triathlon WA owned events (the SunSmart Busselton Festival of Triathlon, the Rockingham Foreshore Triathlon and the newly acquired Every Woman Triathlon).
Public Release of Start Lists
TWA acknowledges that publicly listing participant information can be undesirable for some individuals, and it may discourage them from registering for an event altogether. Consequently, TWA will now provide an option on our registration forms asking every participant IF they would like their name removed from pre/post event promotion.
Public Release of Results
Similarly, participants will be given the opportunity to have their name and any other personal details removed from public race results. We will work with timing companies to ensure a non-identifiable feature (e.g. just a race number) will be in place for those who have chosen this option. The participant’s finish position and race time will remain in the system.
Event Photography
TWA appreciates that not every participant is comfortable with photos of themselves being used for promotional purposes. This season we are offering all registrants of our owned events the option to add a ‘No Photo Please’ sticker to their race bib, and use the ‘No Photo Please’ action. These measures will help photographers and staff quickly identify participants who prefer not to have their image shared online.
- No Photo Please Action: If a participant prefers not to have their image taken, we ask that a ‘No Photo Please’ action is used as a signal to photographers. The participant should cross their arms in front of their body (as seen in the image below) when it is safe and possible to do so when in view of a photographer.
- No Photo Please Sticker: Participants can request a ‘No Photo Please’ sticker that can be added to their race numbers. These will be available at athlete pack collection.
Due to the volume and scale of media being created at events, there will be a margin of error but we will do our best to respect participant preferences. Participant images may still be used where a race number, sticker or hand gesture can not be seen (e.g. during the swim, or in crowd shots). Participants may still appear in the event livestreams or in the professionally produced event videos due to the static nature of the cameras.
We will be working with event photographers to ensure they are:
- Well recognised by high-vis vests and/or media accreditation
- Registered with Triathlon WA prior to the event so they can be provided with a briefing on our policies, procedures, and etiquette.
Triathlon events take place in public, open spaces, so we cannot control all photos that are taken at the event. However, we hope that through our educational processes and working with our contracted/known event photographers the above measures will be followed.
Taking and sharing photos and videos is a great way for our participants to interact, document successes and celebrate good news stories, but we do appreciate that this may not be welcomed by all. If you would like to have a photo of yourself removed from our social platform, please reach out to us via admin@wa.triathlon.org.au. All enquires are treated confidentially.
TWA wants to ensure that everyone who is involved in this great sport feels safe and well respected. We will work with our clubs, race directors and contractors to uphold these guidelines and we hope to see this being embraced across all events in the coming seasons.