World Triathlon restricts watches in rule changes.

The sports governing body has just announced its 2025 rule book with changes that affect age groupers and those who use sports tech.

It’s a lengthy document, and I think the following are key changes that affect age groupers and watch/tech users. Please comment below if I need to clarify the wording.

On the start line

You must get in your starting position 20 seconds before the start and cannot change position in those 20 seconds.

Modified drafting penalties when riding

New penalty durations are approximately halved and are as follows:

• Long distance: reduced to 3 minutes
• Middle distance: reduced to 2 minutes
• Standard distance: reduced to 1 minute
• Sprint distance: reduced to 30 seconds

You don’t have to stop at the next penalty station to serve the penalty. However, you will be disqualified upon finishing. At that point, you can appeal the penalty and DSQ. #risky

Dunking, punching, scratching, or kicking another athlete will get you a deserved DQ. And smooth, short nails are mandatory.

DSQ athletes cannot start again if the race is restarted.

Race Distances

Measured bike leg distances have a 10% tolerance from the official distance (5% for middle- and long-distance events). i.e. a 20km bike leg could be 22km

Clothing

A tri-suit cannot cover your elbows; it can also not cover your knees. Thus, race number decals must be on the lower leg and lower arm, which obviously won’t apply in certain events like a Winter Triathlon.

Zippers must remain connected to the suit and cannot cause your shoulders to be exposed. Zippers must be closed 100m before the finish.

Tech

Section 4.11 Equipment (e)
Electronic devices may be used in the competition unless they are distracting the athlete from paying full attention to their surroundings.

Section 4.11 Illegal Equipment (f) Athletes must not use or wear:…… Any jewellery; deemed to be a hazard to themselves or other athletes…Watches. This non allowance applies to Elite, U23 and Junior races in Standard and shorter distances. Exceptionally the Head Referee may allow the use of watches

Section 2.1 General Conduct (xiv)
Cameras, phone cameras, and video cameras are prohibited unless permission is given by World Triathlon or the license holder of the event. If permission is granted, athletes must inform the Head Referee before the start of the competition. Athletes seen with an unauthorized camera, phone camera, or video camera will be disqualified.​

Section 8.7-8.9 Supertri E Arena Games (Virtual Racing Rules)
Athletes must not use any of their own wireless transmitting devices, such as wireless head units, power meters, or others, to avoid interference with official competition equipment.

Athletes must NOT use or wear … Watches. wow. This non-allowance applies to Elite, U23, and Junior races at standard and shorter distances. this might have repercussions for tech brands claiming their athlete use the tech during competition!

Cameras, phone cameras, and video cameras are banned for competitors unless specific permission is obtained from the race director.

So, elites can’t wear jewellery or a watch as jewellery, but an age-grouper can wear a smartwatch provided it’s not used for distracting purposes like texting someone??

This new rule might also be of interest. UCI-compliant brake lever positioning is required to be 10 degrees or less.

Rules for aero bars and disc wheels are unchanged. Basically you can’t use the in draft-legal races.

You can only carry 2 litres of fluid in bottles or inside the frame. So all of you who used to carry 3 litres (I suspect only about 2 of you) will have issues.

Like in Ironman-branded races, you can no longer stick your water bottle inside your tri-suit for an aero advantage, nor can any similar inserts exist anywhere else. Grrr. That affects one of my cunning plans as it does make a difference.

Take Out for Athletes Using Watches or Bike Computers

So, if you previously liked to get an Insta of your water bottle stuffed down your tri suit, you will get DQ’d twice.

• Allowed: Basic watches and bike computers for passive data display by age-groupers(e.g., time, speed, heart rate).
• Not Allowed: Smartwatches and bike computers are used in a distractive manner (e.g., sending texts, taking calls, using social media).
• Not Allowed: Cameras unless permission is granted.
• Esports Races: Athletes must use only the equipment provided (no personal bike computers, power meters, or transmitting devices).

More Reading: What will be in the new forerunner 975 for 2025?

Source: 2025 Rule Book

British Triathlon highlights These changes

I’d forgotten to include the mixed relay age group changes which were quite interesting…here we go:

Transition area 
Athletes must not impede the progress of other athletes in the transition area. Interference that prevents another athlete to continuing in the competition will result in disqualification. Misplaced equipment can be moved by the athlete affected.

Aquabike finish 
Athletes will finish the competition at the finish line located between 100m and 200m meters before the dismount line. The finish occurs at the instant that the tyre of the front wheel meets the vertical plane rising from the starting edge of the finishing line. The time registered in this point is the final time. Finishing athletes will continue cycling till the dismount line.

Modified Drafting Penalties 
The penalties for drafting violations have been revised and reduced across various race distances, reflecting a more balanced approach to competition integrity. The new penalty duration’s are as follows: – Long Distance: Reduced to 3 minutes – Middle Distance: Reduced to 2 minutes – Standard Distance: Reduced to 1 minute – Sprint Distance: Reduced to 30 seconds

The drafting zone has been unified for all events to 12 meters and 25 seconds to pass another athlete.

Age-Group Mixed Relay change of ages 
Age ranges for Age-Group Mixed Relay events will now be determined by the total combined age of all team members, not the individual ages of each team member. Eg. 60-79, 80-119, 120-159, etc

Fairings are prohibited 
Fairings are defined as any devices or materials (including duct tape) added, attached, or blended into the structure of the bicycle which have the effect of reducing the resistance to air penetration. Devices or materials (including duct tape) added, attached, or blended into the structure of the bicycle that does not fundamentally alter or enlarge the general shape of the structure, (e.g., to cover valve cut out of the rear disc wheel, to cover bolts access, etc.) are not affected by this rule;
m.) Hydration Volume Limitation: Hydration volume (e.g. bottles or hydration systems) mounted to components that rotate around the steering axis (e.g. cockpit extensions, base bar) must have a combined maximum capacity of 2 litres;
n.) Rear Mounted hydration systems, (excluding those mounted to the inside the frame triangle bike are limited in size, capacity, dimension and location as set forth below:
(i) cannot contain more than two water bottles;
(ii) must not exceed 1L capacity per bottle.
o.) Specifically, the following items are not allowed:
(i) Bottles/hydration or any other objects (excluding nutrition) attached to or inserted in an athlete’s race suit;
(ii) Any inserts in an athlete’s calf sleeves and arm sleeves.

Swimskins 
For Age-Group athletes in all events and distances swimskins are allowed. Swimskins must be removed after the swim segment.

Uniform 
No changes to the World Triathlon Championships and World Triathlon Multisport Championships (athletes have to wear the NF uniform).
For all Continental Championships – except Triathlon Continental Championships – Age-Group athletes may wear any uniform, provided that NF code and World Triathlon logo are printed as indicated in rule 5 and 6 of the appendix F. Rule 7 will not apply. NFs can oblige their athletes to wear the National uniform, however this obligation will not be controlled by Technical Officials.
(Note – British Triathlon’s Age Group Team is required to wear its approved trisuit. For the 2025 season, this is either the newly launched suit from HUUB or that from the previous supplier. As a federation we believe this creates a sense of team and identity when competing on an international level.) [and it makes more money]

Naming of categories
The ‘M – Male’ category is now replaced by an ‘Open’ category which appears as ‘N – Neutral’ in the start list and results. Please refer to the revised Eligibility regulations for Transgender Athletes Participation, read more below.

World Triathlon Announces Revised Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes Participation
World Triathlon approved revisions to its August 2022 Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes effective immediately.Introduction of an Age-Group Open Category for all genders. The revised Regulations introduce a new Age-Group Open Category, replacing the existing Age-Group Men’s Category.This new Age-Group Open Category will apply to athletes competing in all the World Triathlon and Continental Triathlon Age-Group competitions.Age-Group Transgender athletes, male and female, can compete in the new Open Category without any medical or legal eligibility criteria.Key highlights of the revised regulations:
● Introduces an Age-Group Open Category where Transgender athletes can compete, without the need for any legal or medical criteria
● Retains the Age-Group Female category for women assigned female at birth.
● All Transgender athlete information and medical data will be handled with strict confidentiality, ensuring respect for athletes’ privacy.