Ironman China CANCELLED!

What a way to start Friday the 13th.

I woke up with calls and text messages from dozens of our Filipino Ironman China hopefuls pissed and venting about the cancellation. I was shocked when I heard the news and couldn’t believe it.

Training for an Ironman is no easy task.. you put in all the time,  effort, and most important of all,  money for the race of your life and this happens. To make it hurt more, this happens 3 weeks into race day.

First the swim was cancelled. A lot of the first timers were pissed when they heard the news. Can you still call it an IRONMAN if you didn’t do a 4k swim? I’d understand if the cancellation was a raceday decision.. stuff like that happens.. for me you will still be called an IRONMAN. But the sting of going to the event 3 weeks out knowing you wont be doing a swim.. that’s an entirely different ballgame.

And now this.. the WHOLE EVENT WAS CANCELLED! Now this one hurts. Even with the swim out, some of our Filipino Ironmen still considered going because they already payed for their airfare and hotel. The hotel, unless booked thru the WTC can be refunded. The airfare itself is a goner.

Now to soften the blow, WTC is offering a full refund of the registration fee as well as a complimentary race entry to a couple of Ironman races.

Here’s the killer, in a move perhaps to make it up to the Filipino athletes (do they really care about us?), Ironman Camsur 70.3 will receive 30 slots for the Ford Ironman World Championship. 30 SLOTS!!!!!!!!!!

To everyone who trained hard for Ironman China. Here is your chance. Don’t let up with the training and gun for the Kona slot!

Below is the official statement of the WTC regarding Ironman China event cancellation.

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World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) announced today that the 2011 Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China races, set to take place on May 29 in Jixian, Tianjin, have been cancelled. After the cancellation of the swim portion of the race earlier in the week and the resulting change to a bike-run format, WTC was informed that Tianjin Sports Bureau (TSB) could not obtain the required sanctions from the China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA) to conduct the event.

“Events in China require an appropriate sports body to act as the co-organizer,” said Murphy Reinschreiber, managing director of the Asia Pacific region for WTC. “While we have had nothing but positive experiences in working with China’s sports authorities in the past, TSB simply failed to provide all of the documentation necessary for CTSA to process the sanction.”

WTC is offering a full refund of entry fees to all athletes who were scheduled to compete at Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China. Additionally, all athletes will be offered a complimentary race entry into any of the 2011 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races listed below.

PowerBar Ironman 70.3 Switzerland
Ironman 70.3 Boise
Ironman 70.3 Italy
K-Swiss Ironman 70.3 Kansas
Ironman France
Ironman 70.3 Korea Jeju
Ironman Korea Jeju
Ironman 70.3 Muncie
Ironman Switzerland
Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island
Ironman 70.3 Racine
Ironman Regensburg
Finanzgruppe/Naspa Ironman 70.3 Wiesbaden European Championship
Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead
Ford Ironman Louisville

“We were shocked by the news today that Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China would need to be cancelled, especially since we were unaware that this might be the result when we decided to cancel the swim earlier this week,” said Steve Meckfessel, chief operations officer for WTC. “We want all athletes who committed the time and training to participate in these events to still get their chance to compete later this season.”

To ensure that Asia-Pacific athletes are represented at the 2011 World Championship events, WTC is allocating the age group qualifying slots from Ironman China and Ironman 70.3 China to other races in the region. Ironman Korea Jeju, scheduled for July 3, 2011, is receiving 25 Ford Ironman World Championship slots, giving it a total of 75, and Ironman 70.3 Korea Jeju is receiving 10 slots for the Ironman World Championship 70.3. Additionally, the 2011 Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines, set to take place on August 14 in Camarines Sur, Philippines, will receive 30 slots for the Ford Ironman World Championship.

Athletes will receive their entry fee refund within three to four weeks and an e-mail on May 16, 2011 with information regarding race registration for one of the complimentary events. In the coming days, athletes will also receive information on cancelled hotel and travel arrangements. In the meantime, all questions may be directed to china@ironman.com.

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