It’s been three months since Antonio Arimany stepped into his role as President of World Triathlon, following the tenure of Marisol Casado. In this exclusive interview with SportsIn, Arimany reflects on his first months in office, the challenges of succeeding a historic presidency, and his short- and long-term goals. With a focus on innovation, sustainability, and expanding the sport’s reach, he shares his plans to strengthen relationships with National Federations, enhance the digital presence, and solidify triathlon’s place within the Olympic and Paralympic programs.

President Arimany, it’s been three months since you took office. What are your initial reflections on your first few months in this role?

These first three months have been a whirlwind of activity, and a steep learning curve, but probably a fast learning curve and already immerse in lots of projects as I have been able to adapt quickly to the new circumstances and transition quickly from my previous position as Secretary General to being Elected President. We are looking for a new Secretary General, but the staff has been working to swift from day one and we have not lost a single day. There’s lots of projects, new ideas, new approaches that we have been implementing since November. And it has been an incredible experience getting to know the World Triathlon family even better – the athletes, National Federations, organizers, and staff. I’m struck by the passion and dedication everyone shares for our sport. My focus has been on listening and understanding the challenges and opportunities before us as we plan for the future, being aware the changes we are planning to implement, with the goal to grow the sport of triathlon.

How hard it is to succeed on a Presidential campaign coming from the same country as the previous President?

It is not easy. And I can only thank the Spanish Triathlon Federation for their full support not only to my candidature for President, but also for their full commitment with World Triathlon. They have hosted major events of our calendar when we couldn’t find other hosts; they have supported our calendar, organised events and helped other Nations sharing their knowledge on coaching and organisation of events to enable more NFs to grow our sport in other regions, specially in South America and Europe.

The success of my Candidature is the result of a team working together, a team that will drive the sport of triathlon in the next years and that will provide all the knowledge that we need for consolidating the sport of triathlon.

What are your key goals for your first year as President?

My first-year goals center around three core areas: Strengthening relationships and collaboration within all World Triathlon stakeholders, improving our governance and operational efficiency, and developing a clear strategic vision for the future. We are already working on all of them. Reviewing the structure of our events and our commercial assests to be able to adapt to the new challenges and deliver even better events worldwide. Improving our Development, Education and National Federation services projects to be able to serve our members better. And we are fully dedicated to build a stronger, more unified global community, improving our commercial agreements, media offer and enhancing our capacity to deliver world-class events.

Looking further ahead, what’s your mid-term vision for World Triathlon?

Mid-term, I envision a World Triathlon that is even more sustainable, inclusive, and impactful. This means a robust sustainability strategy, actively expanding opportunities for participation at all levels, and increasing our global reach and influence. We need to explore new formats and technologies to make our sport more engaging and accessible for fans and future generations. We will also continue focusing on supporting our National Federations. The Spanish Federation is an excellent example of a successful National Federation, organizing multiple top-level international events and showcasing incredible commitment to helping other Federations develop. Their experience and support are invaluable. The development and implementation of a new commercial strategy will allow us to grow and provide a wider support to all our Members.

What are your top priorities right now?

My immediate priorities are to strengthen our financial stability, improve our digital and media presence, and bolster our relationships with other organisers, broadcasters and sponsors. We’ve seen remarkable growth in social media engagement in recent months—a testament to the power of our sport and the fantastic athletes we have. Continuing to increase this exposure and connect with fans in new and innovative ways is essential. The extraordinary economic success of the 2024 Torremolinos Finals, generating €48 million for the host city/Region, highlights the potential benefits of hosting World Triathlon events. We need to build on this success and attract more host cities.

How do you see the future of World Triathlon shaping up?

The future of World Triathlon is bright! Our sport is dynamic and rapidly evolving. We have a passionate global community, dedicated athletes, and incredibly strong potential for growth. Looking to the future of our events and broadcasting, we’re already exploring ways to introduce new, exciting elements to make them more captivating for spectators. Think about innovative race formats, enhanced digital experiences, greater fan engagement, and immersive broadcasting that showcase the incredible athleticism and drama of our sport. We need to ensure World Triathlon remains at the forefront of multisport and engages new audiences globally. And of course, enlarging our presence at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with our eyes set already on LA 2028.

The creation of a triathlon community for everyone, involved and not involved in the sport is one of the projects I personally think will allow to increase our presence in the sport’s world.

How do you see the sport of Triathlon within the Olympic and Paralympic Games?

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the main and most important triathlon and paratriathlon events we have. Our presence within the Olympic program has been the best tool for growing the sport worldwide. I cannot see another sport that has grown more since the inclusion in the Olympic program, not only within the Olympic Movement, but also outside, together with the private organisers.

We are working in consolidating and trying to grow our presence in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, our events are one of the most popular within the Program and we can bring new formats that could contribute to the Olympic and Paralympic Program. We are working together with the IOC, IPC and the Organising Committees to keep growing.

Triathlon is a sport in which there are many Private organisers within the Sport and World Triathlon is able to coexist in this environment, what is your secret?

Yes, in that sense we are unique to any other sport, we recognise the importance and the contribution that the private organisers are doing to the growth of the sport. IronMan, PTO, SuperTri, Xterra or PowerMan, among others, are playing a key role and our goal is to be recognised as the governing body of the sport, being able to provide the services that could help the private organisers to become more profitable.

We have never sanctioned any athlete competing in any event not organised by us, as other Ifs have done, as we understand that the money invested by the private organisers in the elite sport is providing additional financial resources to our athletes. The challenge we face is the calendar, something on which we are working in order to provide the best opportunities to all our athletes.

Any final thoughts?

I’m incredibly enthusiastic about the future of World Triathlon. It’s a privilege to lead this organization and work with such a dedicated and talented team, the Executive Board and the Staff. With the continued support of our National Federations, athletes, organizers, and fans, I’m confident that we’ll continue to achieve great things in the years to come. Together, TRIgether, we will succeed.