Tragedy because of too narrow distance?
Serious allegations against Ironman organizers
06/05/2023, 08:35 am
At the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg, the driver of a support motorcycle dies after a collision with an amateur athlete. Now there is criticism of the organizer, but the President of the German Triathlon Union counters: “It can happen in any competition.”
After the fatal accident at the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg on Sunday, criticism of the organizers is growing. Former world champion Sebastian Kienle, who was a co-commentator for ARD, had the impression that the road was too crowded at this point: “There are far too many motorcycles on the road,” he said during the broadcast. State Councilor for Sport Christoph Holstein announced that “it will of course be investigated whether the general conditions of the event contributed in any way to causing the accident.”
The President of the German Triathlon Union defended the organizers. “It can happen in any competition. It can also happen with us. There are other competitions where there have also been fatalities, in the triathlon,” said Martin Engelhardt on Deutschlandfunk. The fact that the race was not canceled on Sunday had to do with the “overall responsibility” of the organizers, “also with regard to the safety situation of the overall competition”.
Stopping the race would have been incalculable
“They were of course shocked about the accident and of course the death, thinking in all directions about what the right course of action is now. There were over 2,000 people on the track. If they had stopped the whole race, it would have been relatively unpredictable, loud Statements from the main organizers,” said Engelhardt: “That’s why, despite all the dismay, including the people affected, the decision was made to continue the race – with all due respect for the tragic accident.”
Engelhardt said that the decision not to stop the race was made by the team in Hamburg and not, as communicated on the day of the race, by the World Triathlon Corporation based in Tampa (Florida). He called the organizers experienced, they certainly didn’t take the decision lightly.
In the competition on Sunday, a motorcyclist collided head-on with an athlete on the bike. The motorcyclist, a 70-year-old man, died at the scene of the accident. The 26-year-old triathlete was seriously injured, but according to the official statement not life-threatening. A 50-year-old cameraman, who was also on the motorcycle, escaped with minor injuries and a shock. Since he was filming with his back to the direction of travel, he was unable to provide any information on how the accident happened.
But that is exactly what Jan Frodeno was able to do. The Olympic champion took fourth place in his last race on German soil and was not sparing in his criticism after crossing the finish line. “It was incredibly tight, a complete farce. I was right next door and saw the bike shatter into what felt like a thousand pieces. I know that this always has to be accompanied by the media, but athlete safety has to come first,” said the 41-year-old . He only found out at the finish that the motorcyclist had not survived.
Always oncoming traffic on turning point route
The “Bild” newspaper quotes Timo Schaffeld as another participant from the professional camp: “The bike course was very full. It was therefore foreseeable that there could be accidents. There were very, very many athletes on the second round, with all the age groupers (Editor’s note: amateur participants) and the professionals who had to overtake in the second row. Sometimes there was no other way, even in the third row. Very, very many media motorcycles, few referee motorcycles.” On the turning point route, there was always oncoming traffic, “two rows on the right lane, two rows on the left lane. If there are still two motorbikes on the route, the road is already very, very crowded. Maybe you could choose a different route. Maybe a big lap or a lap without a turning point.”
The fatal collision occurred around 8.45 a.m. on the main dike in Spadenländer in the Ochsenwerder district. The people involved in the accident collided shortly after the turning point of the bike course. A helicopter and 20 rescue workers were on site, who immediately blocked the road. The lockdown led to extremely bizarre scenes. The EM participants and also the amateur athletes had to balance their bicycles on the dyke and push them past the accident site on the dyke crest.