Triathlon Ireland has said it was "reeling" from the deaths of two competitors at Ironman Cork on Sunday, adding its personnel had assessed conditions at the start of the event and had told the organisers it could not sanction the triathlon because of the "adverse" sea conditions.
Two men - Brendan Wall (44) from Ireland and Ivan Chittenden (65) from Canada - died during the swim leg of the race, which started in testing conditions in the aftermath of Storm Betty on Friday night into Saturday. After the men got into difficulty, with fatal consequences, the event continued to a conclusion, with athletes reporting afterwards they did not know while they were racing that two men had died.
Darren Coombes, chief executive of Triathlon Ireland, has issued a statement as Minister for Finance Michael McGrath TD said there should be a full investigation into the how the deaths of the two men came about.
Advertisement
"Triathlon Ireland is reeling from the news that Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall, athletes in the Ironman Cork event in Youghal, tragically died yesterday morning while participating in the race," said Triathlon Ireland's Coombes.
Related News
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Ivan’s and Brendan’s loved ones. The triathlon community is a very close community and this loss has had a devastating effect on all of us.
"Triathlon Ireland is the national governing body for triathlon in Ireland, a role which includes providing sanction for club and commercial races to proceed. In our almost 40-year history, the sport in Ireland has an impeccable safety record.
"For the Ironman Cork event, in line with normal practice, Triathlon Ireland technical officials attended before the start of the race to review the conditions and carry out a water safety assessment. Due to adverse conditions on the day, Triathlon Ireland technical officials confirmed to the race organisers that it was not possible to sanction the race.
"As there is an investigation ongoing, at this stage it would not be appropriate for us to make any further comment only to state that Triathlon Ireland will provide any assistance that the authorities require. Finally, we reiterate our deepest condolences to the families of Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall."
Minister McGrath, who is a TD for the Cork South Central constituency, said "conditions were particularly challenging in the water" when the "tragedy" of the me's deaths occurred. He added it was important to establish what had happened.
"I've no doubt the organisers of the event will conduct a comprehensive investigation into what happened. Cork County Council is the lead sponsor of the event, and I have no doubt that they will want a full account of what happened as well," he said.
"It may well be the case the Water Safety Ireland will also be asking questions and wish to fully understand the facts and the circumstances of what happened," Mr McGrath said.
