What is Sanctioning?
The term 'USA Triathlon Sanctioned' indicates the race director (RD) has completed a thorough review of an event's safety. The swim, bike and run courses have been well-planned, and the race director has evaluated and planned for medical, emergency, safety and volunteer support and will conduct the event according to the USA Triathlon Competitive Rules. Course maps and event details must be submitted for USA Triathlon review and approval. The process is online and can be both adjusted for changes and effectively integrated as a planning tool for race directors.
If you have any questions about the sanctioning process, please email us at EventServices@usatriathlon.org or call (719) 884-5612.
Why Sanction with USA Triathlon?#
Athletes expect a worry-free experience when they register for an event. Participants should be able to arrive at their event with minimal distractions, leaving their sole focus on racing. Sanctioning with USA Triathlon provides that positive experience in the following ways:
An affordable, comprehensive insurance program that protects race directors, athletes, volunteers, sponsors and other race staff
Sanctioned races ensure a fair race, governed under the industry-standard competitive rules and are able to be officiated by USA Triathlon Certified Officials.
Sanctioned races provide ranking points for regional and national rankings and the opportunity to qualify for National Championships and, eventually a spot on Team USA.
Marketing your events through the Sanctioned Events Calendar, a comprehensive list of sanctioned events throughout the nation.
Results are stored for all sanctioned events on one centralized website.
Support of the National Governing Body by enabling it to develop new programming, grow the sport, and fund initiatives including youth participation, Olympic programming and paratriathlon.
USA Triathlon’s mission is “to grow and inspire the triathlon community”—a virtuous cycle that directly benefits each race director and all athletes at all sanctioned events.
USA Triathlon will only consider Sanctioned Events when selecting which events may host state and national championships or join USA Triathlon Race Series such as the draft-legal, gravel, women's series or Youth Splash and Dash events.
Documents Required for Sanctioning
- Detailed and updated course maps
- Course details
- Event plans
- Security
- Transition area design
- Emergency and medical plan
- Rules Enforcement
- USAT membership and waiver signature check
Did You Know?
USA Triathlon sanctions numerous types of multisport events each year, including those with:
- Kayak/Canoe/SUP legs
- Cross-country skiing
- Relays
- Non-traditional Distances
- Beginner Focused
- Indoor Triathlons
and more! Contact EventServices@usatriathlon.org if you have questions about whether your event may be sanctioned.
Sanctioning Fees#
The following fees apply for sanction applications completed at least 60 days before the event or the start of the clinic and are non-negotiable.
- Adult Event: $175
- Youth Event: Free
- Adult Clinic: $50
- Youth Clinic: Free
- Adult Event: $225
- Youth Event: Free
- Adult Clinic: $75
- Youth Clinic: Free
Receive $100 off your next USAT sanction application when you double-check the power and effectiveness of your registration platform with TicketSocket’s to ensure you are setting yourself up for ease of use, streamlined processing and increased marketing efficiency. Email eventservices@usatriathlon.org to set up a 20-minute call. Once complete, USA Triathlon will either refund $100 off your current sanction application or provide a $100 non-transferable credit towards your next.
Start the Sanctioning Process #
Looking to renew your race’s sanctioning for next year? Save time by hitting the Copy button to create next year’s application. This saves time and gives you a head start on completing the application.
Sanction Application Tips: #
- Adult and youth events must be sanctioned and insured separately, therefore each event must have a sanction application on file.
- Course maps are required (itineraries are required for clinics) each year for safety and insurance purposes. Please include a map of the transition area(s) and pool course.
- Five-year age groups in increments starting with 20-24 and going through 85-plus are required. There are no age group requirements for youth events except that all participants must be 17 and under.
- Mass swim starts or wave starts of more than 150 athletes require a rules dispensation request consisting of the following questions. Hybrid swim starts also require a rules dispensation request. This request must be resubmitted each year for approval. You will be notified by an event services staff member reviewing your event to send responses to the following questions.
- How many athletes are in the mass start?
- How many athletes total are in the event?
- What is the width of the start area?
- What is the distance from the start line to the first turn?
- How will the mass start enhance the safety of the event? Please Note - the same mass start rules that govern a swim also apply to duathlon starts and a rules dispensation request is required.
- Water testing is a requirement, even for pool swims. USAT recommends that you follow the guidelines established by the agency that governs your body of water, such as the county, city, EPA, pool management, etc. USAT will accept whatever criteria the permitting agency has established for swimability and human contact. Please obtain a copy of the certificate that is issued nearest to the event date and keep it with the event files for seven years, as it may need to be provided to USAT after the event.
Pre-Event Requirements for Race Directors#
Race directors of sanctioned events must complete the following before their event ends.
Sanctioning applications must be completed 14 days before the event or more. If applications are not completed in full before this deadline, the application will be declined.
A complete application means that all forms of the sanction application have been filled out and payment of all fees has been received. Please do not forget, course maps (for adult events) and an itinerary (for clinics) must been submitted with the application or be available on the event website.
- If you are hosting an event with athletes aged 17 and younger, you must have an active SafeSport training and cleared background check.
- SafeSport training must be completed on an annual basis and only SafeSport Trained, Refresher 1, Refresher 2 or Refresher 3 meets the annual requirement.
- Race Directors must submit and receive a cleared background check every two years.
- Race Directors should complete their annual SafeSport training and submit background check requests through their
If you have any questions about the SafeSport or background check requirements, please email our Compliance Team at trisafesupport@usatriathlon.org.
RDs will need a USA Triathlon profile to access the sanction system. If you have a USAT membership number and password, use that login information to access the system. If you do not have a USAT membership, email EventServices@usatriathlon.org and have our service team generate a profile for you.
Ensure all your event materials have the most recent USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event logo. If you need an updated logo, email eventservices@usatriathlon.org.
USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event Logo Standards
- The logo's shape or coloring may not be altered
- When resizing, its proportions may not be altered
- It may not be placed in a space that suggests USA Triathlon is one of the event sponsors.
Race Directors at USAT sanctioned events must determine an participant's age group of by age on Dec. 31 of the event year, not by age on race day.
- If you turn 25 years old in July of 2023, you will race and be ranked in the 25-29 age group for the entire 2023 season.
- The age up rule applies to youth events as well.
Utilizing a Real Time Account Validation (RTAV) registration platform helps to streamline the packet pick-up process on race day and minimizes the amount of funds and paperwork that a race director must submit during the post-race process.
RTAV registration platforms direct athletes to USA Triathlon’s website during your event registration flow where they purchase one-day and annual memberships or validate annual memberships. Athlete’s accounts will be updated instantly, they will sign the USAT membership waiver and then receive their member number at the end of the purchase process before being returned to your registration platform.
This saves you and the athlete time at packet pick-up because you don’t need to verify their membership or have them sign a waiver. You just check their ID, give them their packet and that’s it!
Did you know that you can also use the RTAV system to sell one-day licenses on site at packet pickup? It will speed up your post-race submissions and eliminate all cash, check, and card payments onsite.
RTAV connected registration platforms include:
Registrants must sign USA Triathlon's wavier in addition to waivers from the event itself.
It's recommended to have volunteers sign a waiver during the volunteer registration process, too.
Athletes racing in a USA Triathlon Sanctioned event like yours must have a USA Triathlon Membership. USA Triathlon has several membership options, from the Bronze level membership to the Silver, Gold and Platinum memberships. The Bronze membership offers a new tiered cost for the one-day membership, with the cost variable depending on the distance: $13 Sprint/Super Sprint; $18 Olympic/International; $23 Long Course/Ultra; $6 Relay.
Post-Event Requirements for Race Directors#
Race directors of sanctioned events must complete the following after their event ends.
The following materials must be submitted to USA Triathlon within 10 days of the end of the event:
- Event Reporting form
- USAT membership money collected
- Signed waivers and membership forms
- Incident reports
- If no incidents, notify on the sanction application.
- Electronic results
- Safesport Personnel Tracker
- Swim Safety Report
- If you hosted a Youth Clinic/Event or an Adult Clinic, you also need to submit a registration list as part of post-race.
Most of these items can be submitted online through your event application on the sanction system. All waivers/membership applications collected by the race director must be sent to USA Triathlon. Post-race materials and waiver/membership applications can be scanned and emailed to eventservices@usatriathlon.org.
Indicate to USA Triathlon’s Event Services Team whether you used an RTAV (Real Time Account Verification) for event registration or not. If you did not use one, please email the event services team a list of all individuals who signed up outside of the RTAV.
The electronic results file must be uploaded into your sanctioning application within 10 days following event completion. Ensure that the name on your result files matches the event name on the sanction application and that the results requirements have been followed. Incomplete files will be returned for correction.
Results must include the following information:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Member Number
- Gender
- DOB
- City
- State
- Zip
- Category*
- Final Time
*For category purposes, any athlete that does not compete in their age group wave will be considered open for that race. All athletes attempting to qualify for Age Group National Championships – Olympic-Distance will be required to race within their age group at any on-road or off-road triathlon race.
Result requirements will be strictly adhered to and all files not formatted correctly or missing information will be returned for correction. All results must be sent or uploaded as a .csv or .xls file. A results requirements form is available under the Documents tab in your USAT membership account, so please pass that on to your timers to assist them.
Each race within an event must have a separate sheet for results. If you have any questions about the requirements, email rankings@usatriathlon.org.
Should an incident arise at your event, you must submit an incident report
Please Note - Only the USA Triathlon Incident Report form will be accepted by our insurance provider. Reports completed on any other form will be returned.
Rules Enforcement
Use USA Triathlon Certified Officials
Every USA Triathlon Sanctioned Event must enforce the multisport rules, and USA Triathlon Certified Officials are the best way to do so! USAT Officials are trained to provide excellent customer service while educating on and enforcing the rules.
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