Editing Triathlon (section)

==History==
[[File:18-6-22 course des trois sports.jpg|thumb|1922 Course des trois sports]]
The evolution of triathlon as a distinct sport is difficult to trace with precision. Many, including triathlon historian and author [[Scott Tinley]], consider events in early 20th-century France to be the beginnings of triathlon, with many three-element multisport events of differing composition appearing, all called by different names.<ref name="thiswas0922">{{Cite web|url=http://thiswastriathlon.org/twt1_009.htm|title=Tri Sports History Timeline (1902–2008)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100331195401/http://www.thiswastriathlon.org/twt1_009.htm|archive-date=31 March 2010|access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="espn32">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/sport?sport=tr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812042112/http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/sport?sport=tr|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 August 2008|title=ESPN – Triathlon milestones|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=2012-07-02}}</ref> The earliest record for an event was from 1901 in [[Joinville-le-Pont]], [[Val-de-Marne]], it called itself "''Les Trois Sports''" (The Three Sports).<ref>{{cite web | title=History of triathlon | website=Казахстанская Федерация Триатлона | date=2017-02-19 | url=https://www.triathlon.org.kz/en/info/istoria-poavlenia-triatlona#:~:text=The%20concept%20of%20modern%20triathlon,and%20crossing%20the%20Marne%20Canal. | access-date=2023-12-14}}</ref> It was advertised as an event for "the sportsmen of the time" and consisted of a run, a bicycle, and a canoe segment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Triathlon : [technique, tactique, entraînement]|last=Yves.|first=Cordier|date=1991|publisher=Laffont|others=Malaurent, Max.|isbn=2221071557|location=Paris|oclc=53765579}}</ref> By 19 June 1921, the event in Joinville-le-Pont had become more like a standard triathlon, with the canoe segment being replaced with a swim. According to the newspaper ''[[L'Auto]]'', the race consisted of a {{cvt|3|km|mi|adj=on}} run, a {{cvt|12|km|mi|adj=on}} bike ride, and the crossing of the river [[Marne (river)|Marne]], all staged consecutively and without a break.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k623021k/f4.item.r=course%20des%20trois%20sport%22trois%20sports%22|title=La journée sportive d'aujourd'hui|date=19 June 1921|work=Le Petit Journal|access-date=28 August 2017}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.multisportaustria.at/files/doc/History/Triathlon_History.pdf|title=History of Triathlon|website=multisportaustria.at|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070924063804/https://www.multisportaustria.at/files/doc/History/Triathlon_History.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout the 1920s, other bike, run, and swim events appeared in different cities, such as the ''"Course des Trois Sports"'' in [[Marseille]]<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Howard|first=John|date=March 1993|title=The First Triathlon?|magazine=Triathlete Magazine|pages=42–43}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Tinley|first=Scott |date=December 12, 2014|title=The French Connection|website=Trihistory |url=https://trihistory.com/features/french-connection |archive-date=March 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317045150/https://trihistory.com/features/french-connection|access-date=September 25, 2023|url-status=live }}</ref> and "La Course des Débrouillards" in [[Poissy]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> These multisport events continued to slowly spread and grow in popularity; by 1934, ''Les Trois Sports'' was being hosted in the city of [[La Rochelle]], though it consisted of three distinct events, swimming a {{cvt|200|m|ft|adj=on}} channel crossing, a {{cvt|10|km|mi|sigfig=1|adj=on}} bike competition around the harbour of La Rochelle and the parc Laleu,  and a {{cvt|1.2|km|mi|adj=on}} run in the stadium André-Barbeau.<ref name="Mechikoff">{{Cite book|title=A history and philosophy of sport and physical education: from ancient civilizations to the modern world|last=Mechikoff|first=Robert|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=2009|isbn=9780073376493|page=279}}</ref> Throughout this growth with new events appearing, no unified rules ever existed, and as a whole, triathlon remained a minority event on the world stage.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

=== Modern beginnings ===

The first modern swim/bike/run event was held at [[Mission Bay, San Diego, California]], on September 25, 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/san_diego_-_the_birthplace_of_triathlon|title=San Diego - the birthplace of triathlon|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|date=9 May 2012|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> The race was conceived and directed by two members of the San Diego Track Club, Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ehritz|first=Kelly|url=https://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=251|title=History of the Triathlon|website=beginnertriathlete.com|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Johnstone recalls that he was a part of the [[Running boom of the 1970s|'70s jogging craze in America]] and that after entering a few races, he was not regaining his "mediocre fitness" despite having been a member of the 1957 Collegiate and [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] All-American swim teams.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.triathlonhistory.com/|title=Story of the First Triathlon|website=triathlonhistory.com|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Then in 1973, Johnstone learned of the Dave Pain Birthday Biathlon, a {{cvt|4.5|mi|km|order=flip|adj=on}} run followed by what was billed as a quarter-mile (0.4&nbsp;km) swim (the actual distance was only between 200 and 300&nbsp;yards). The following year, after competing in the event for the second time and placing in the top 10, Johnstone desired more of this style of race and with equal emphasis on the swim. So, he petitioned the chairman of the San Diego Track Club, who told him he would add a race to the club calendar. The rest of the race was up to Johnstone to organise, though, and at the same time, he was to contact Don Shanahan, so there would not be too many "weird" races on the club schedule. Shanahan told Johnstone that he wanted to include a biking leg to the race; whilst hesitant, Johnstone agreed to the addition. When naming the event, the pair used the unofficially agreed naming system for multisport events, already used for [[Modern pentathlon|pentathlon]], [[heptathlon]], and [[decathlon]]. So, they used the [[Greek language|Greek]] prefix ''tri'' (three) for the number of events, followed by the already familiar ''athlon'', hence naming the event the Mission Bay Triathlon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/triathlon|title=triathlon {{!}} Origin and meaning of triathlon by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=etymonline.com|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Neither founder had heard of the French events; both believed their race was a unique idea.<ref name="History13">{{Cite book|title=Triathlon' A Personal History by Scott Tinley|last=Tinley|first=Scott|page=6}}</ref>

On Wednesday, September 25, 1974, the race started. It began with a run of a {{cvt|3|mi|km|adj=on|order=flip}} loop, followed by biking twice around [[Fiesta Island, Mission Bay|Fiesta Island]] for a total of {{cvt|5|mi|km|order=flip}}. Entrants would then get off the bikes, take their shoes off, and run into the water to swim to the mainland. That was followed by running in bare feet, then swimming again along the bay, then one last swim up to the entrance of Fiesta Island, and a final crawl up a steep dirt bank to finish.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/dec/11/san-diegans-remember-first-triathlon-40-years-ago/|title=San Diegans Remember World's First Triathlon 40 Years Ago — At Mission Bay|last=Trageser|first=Claire|website=KPBS Public Media|date=11 December 2014|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Most participants were not skilled swimmers, so Johnstone recruited his 13-year-old son to float on his surfboard and act as lifeguard.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> Some participants took longer than expected, and it began to get dark as they finished their swims. Shanahan recalls they pulled up a few cars and turned on the headlights so the athletes could see.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lostswimming.com/2012/04/10/the-first-triathlon-ever/|title=The first Triathlon ever… {{!}} L.O.S.T. Swimming (Lake Ontario Swim Team)|last=Swimmer|first=LOST|language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2019|archive-date=29 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129211038/http://lostswimming.com/2012/04/10/the-first-triathlon-ever/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Johnstone and Shanahan were surprised by the large number of entrants (46), mainly coming from local running clubs. Two notable entrants, Judy and John Collins, four years later founded the event that brought international attention to the new sport: the [[Ironman World Championship|Hawaii Ironman]].<ref name=":2" />

=== European migration ===
The first European triathlon was held on 30 August 1980 in [[Plzeň]], [[Czechoslovakia]]. The Netherlands, Belgium, and West Germany followed, each of them hosting an event in 1981, but media coverage of these events was almost nonexistent.<ref>{{Cite book|title=20 ans de passion! 20 ans de triathlon! : 1989-2009|last=Gasquet|first=Frank|date=2009|others=Fédération française de triathlon|isbn=978-2907590594|location=Marseille|publisher=Approche texte et image|language=fr|pages=12|oclc=762998534}}</ref>

Then in 1982, event organiser [[IMG (company)|IMG]], working in partnership with the American channel CBS (direct competitor of ABC, which held the exclusive rights to Hawaii),  created a new event that would take place in Europe. The initial aim was to establish a new premier competition, the European Triathlon, with the goal of being of the same size and prestige to directly compete with that of Hawaii.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ligue-ca-triathlon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/30-ans-du-Triathlon-de-Nice_83-92.pdf|title=30 years of nice triathlon|date=19 October 2014|website=ligue-ca-triathlon.com|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ligue-ca-triathlon.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F11%2F30-ans-du-Triathlon-de-Nice_83-92.pdf|archive-date=22 October 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Originally, the event was to be hosted in [[Monaco]], but with the death of [[Grace Kelly|Princess Grace]] in September 1982, the previous agreements fell through. IMG refused to cancel the event, so it was reorganised to be hosted in [[Nice]], France. The first [[Nice Triathlon]] was held on 20 November 1982, where 57 competitors took the start, for an ill-defined competition that consisted of {{cvt|1500|m|mi}} of swimming, {{cvt|100|km|mi}} of cycling, and running a [[Marathon (race)|marathon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fftri.com/lhistoire-du-triathlon|title=Histoire du triathlon:1982|website=ffrti.com|access-date=19 October 2014}}.</ref> In December of that year the national television station [[France 2]] broadcast a program, ''Voyage au bout de la souffrance'' (''Journey to the End of Suffering'') which detailed the events of the Nice Triathlon. This program introduced the sport to the general public.<ref name=":4" /> Some fans of traditional sports strongly criticised this new practice, as seven of the entrants were hospitalised due to the swim, as the temperature of the Mediterranean was only {{cvt|14|°C|°F}}.<ref name=":4" /> Despite this criticism, IMG's plan succeeded and throughout the 1980s. The Nice Triathlon was, alongside Hawaii, one of the two important long-distance races each year for both prize money and media attention.<ref>{{cite web | last=Babbitt | first=Bob | title=The 31 Most Important Races in Triathlon History | website=Triathlete | date=2023-03-15 | url=https://www.triathlete.com/culture/the-31-most-important-races-in-triathlon-history/ | access-date=2023-12-14}}</ref>

The year 1985 had the creation of the first international triathlon structure, the European Triathlon Union (ETU), with the objectives to federate the triathlon structures in each European country and to act as a counterbalance to American triathlon in the creation of a future worldwide federation.<ref name=":02">{{cite web|url=http://fftri.com/lhistoire-du-triathlon|title=Histoire du triathlon|website=fftri.com|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20160106140022/http://fftri.com/lhistoire-du-triathlon|archive-date=6 January 2016|url-status=live|access-date=11 November 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The following year, the 11 nations that composed the ETU met in Brussels to standardise the national structures of each European country. During this time, France dominated discussions, as it was the only federation recognised by its own National Olympic Committee. With the legitimacy from CONADET, forerunner of the French Triathlon Federation (FFTri), which has been organising triathlon in France since 1984, the French system became standard all over Europe.<ref name=":02" />

{{Multiple images
| image1            =
| caption1          = Swim leg
| image2            = Paris2024 - Triathlon - 04 - Cyclisme Femmes.jpg
| caption2          = Bike leg
| image3            = 2023-10-15 Etapa de Brasília-DF da Copa do Mundo de Triathlon 07.jpg
| caption3          = Running leg
| alt3              = 
}}

=== A global federation ===
The  first attempt to create a global triathlon entity was the Triathlon Federation International (TFI), it had only 22 members, most of which were national European federations. But immediately, fights of influences broke out between the European and UK-American federations over many issues, particularly in view of a favourable vote system for the ETU; this caused immediate fracturing and the TFI never fully establish itself.<ref name=":02" />

Around the same time, Canadian [[Les McDonald (triathlon)|Les McDonald]] held talks with [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]], then president of the [[International Olympic Committee]]. Samaranch had already declared his intention to add triathlon to the Olympic Games as fast as possible, and assured that triathlon could appear as a demonstration sport at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, but only under the auspices of the [[Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne|International Union of Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon]] (UIPMB).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fftri.com/la-federation/historique/|title=Historique de Triathlon 1994|website=FFTRI|language=fr-FR|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20160106140022/http://fftri.com/lhistoire-du-triathlon|archive-date=6 January 2016|access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/about|title=Inside ITU|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Many within the triathlon community were unhappy with the arrangement, wishing for their own federation not to be held as part of UIPMB. Unable to accept the offer, Samaranch established an Olympic working committee for triathlon in an effort to form a consensus on an Olympic route for the sport. McDonald was selected as president of the committee, while Sweden's Sture Jonasson was elected as secretary.<ref name=":12" />

Then in February 1989, an informal meeting was held in [[Vancouver]], [[Canada]], where members of the working committee worked nonstop for a week on the statutes and regulations of the future [[International Triathlon Union]] (ITU). Then on 1 April 1989, 30 national federations attended the first ITU Congress in [[Avignon]], France. After further discussions on the way forward to reach the Olympics, including the refusal to follow the path of the UIPMB and how triathlon should develop both economically and as a sport, the Congress endorsed the creation of the ITU and elected its first executive committee. McDonald was elected president. The city of Avignon was also given the honour of hosting the first world championship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fftri.com/la-federation/historique/|title=Historique de Triathlon 1989|website=FFTRI|language=fr-FR|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20160106140022/http://fftri.com/lhistoire-du-triathlon|archive-date=6 January 2016|access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref>

In 1991, the IOC recognized the ITU as the sole governing body for the sport of triathlon at its 97th session in [[Birmingham]], UK.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=http://usatriathlon.org/content/index/1691|archive-url=https://archive.today/20090125081125/http://usatriathlon.org/content/index/1691|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2009|title=History of Triathlon {{!}} Content {{!}} USA Triathlon|date=25 January 2009|website=archive.li|access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref> In 1993, the [[Pan American Games]] approved triathlon for competition at the 1995 Pan Am Games in [[Mar del Plata]], Argentina. Then in September 1994, triathlon was added to the Olympic program as a medal earning sport at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.<ref name=":5" />