Club Administrators

Running a Sanctioned Club

Clubs are one of the pillars of our sport. Clubs do it all – introduce new athletes to the sport, deliver training, support coaching, and so much more. Clubs are often the primary point of contact between the athlete and the sport. Clubs are an indispensable part of Ontario’s multisport scene.

Support for Clubs

To support our clubs and the people who run them, Triathlon Ontario offers a club sanctioning program. Only sanctioned clubs have access to the benefits of being part of the provincial and national sport organizations, Triathlon Ontario and Triathlon Canada.

For members, sanctioned clubs offer a level of service, association and assurance that isn’t possible otherwise. For club administrators, sanctioning means access to the information and practical services that make running a top multisport club possible.

This page provides club administrators with the tools to sanction a club and the information to take advantage of the benefits offered.

The Basics

Triathlon Ontario welcomes all clubs. How a club is organized is up to the club – we have large, legally incorporated non-profit clubs, private coaching organizations, swim clubs with triathlon programs, and groups of friends who train together.

The Benefits

Assurance.
Sanctioned clubs can assure athletes, parents, and prospective members that they are participating in safe, well-run activities run by trained, professional coaches.
Promotion.
Sanctioned clubs are listed on Triathlon Ontario’s Find a Club page, as well as on our beginner triathlon site, GOTRI.ca. Sanctioned club activities appear on the Triathlon Ontario and GOTRI.ca events calendars, and clubs are promoted in newsletters, online, and on social media.
Insurance.
Through Triathlon Ontario, sanctioned clubs have access to liability and accident insurance at little to no cost. This protects athletes, coaches, directors, and club administrators. Sanctioned clubs can obtain certificates of insurance for sanctioned activities, which are necessary to rent most facilities.
Coverage.
Sanctioned club workouts are covered activities for Triathlon Ontario members. This not only means that members are covered up to $5 million liability and $50,000 sport accident at sanctioned club workouts, but also that members with Triathlon Ontario optional bike insurance are covered too. This is a great way to cover club members’ bicycles in case of theft or damage at club workouts.
Discounts.
Members of sanctioned clubs receive a $10 discount on their Triathlon Ontario membership. Sanctioned clubs have access to Triathlon Ontario rates and buying programs on clothing, gear, race entries, and training.
Registration.
Sanctioned clubs have access to the NTRS (National Triathlon Registration System) to register their members online. This system not only provides the club with much better rates than other online registration options, it also allows clubs to seamlessly integrate their sign-up with Triathlon Ontario and Triathlon Canada membership.
Club Championships.
Only sanctioned clubs can participate in the annual Triathlon Ontario Club Championships and win the prize purse of money for club programs. Only sanctioned clubs are invited to field teams for the annual Mixed Team Relay Club Championships.
Training.
Sanctioned clubs have access to NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) training for their coaches, as well as Respect in Sport, ethics, and officiating training for coaches, club administrators, and parents.
Legal.
Sanctioned clubs have access to waivers specifically developed for Triathlon Ontario by our legal team.
Help.
Triathlon Ontario Staff are available to help sanctioned club administrators, coaches, and members.

The Responsibilities

Requirements for sanctioned clubs are standard and intentionally kept as easy to administer as possible. Clubs need to run safe activities for their members and adhere to Triathlon Ontario’s sport principles.

Safety.
Sanctioned clubs run workouts and activities that meet Triathlon Ontario safety standards. Among other things, this means employing qualified coaches, having essential equipment on hand, and keeping up-to-date emergency plans.
Coaching.
Sanctioned clubs need qualified coaches. All club Head Coaches and Club Coaches must meet current Triathlon Ontario requirements, which include coaching qualifications, ethics training, and background checks.
Membership.
Athletes attending more than one club workout must be Triathlon Ontario members.
Insurance.
Sanctioned clubs sanction their workouts, activities, and events. This is easy to do and provides insurance that protects the club, athletes, coaches, directors, and club administrators.
Legal.
Sanctioned clubs ensure that all their participants read, understand, and sign the Triathlon Ontario Athlete Agreement and Waiver of Liability.
Principles.
Sanctioned clubs join Triathlon Ontario in encouraging safe, clean, and fair sport participation in which the first goal is always the benefit of the participants.

	Club	Club Workout	Clinic	Camp	Race
Responsible for Sanctioning	Club Administrator	Sanctioned club	Sanctioned club	Sanctioned club	Local Organizing Committee (LOC)
Participants	Members	Members	Open*	Open*	Open*
Waiver Required	Members	Non-members	Non-members	All participants & staff	All participants, staff, & volunteers
Participants List	Members	Non-members	Non-members	All participants	All participants
Participant Emergency Contact Info	Not applicable	On-site	On-site	On-site	On-site
Participant Medical Info	Not applicable	On-site	On-site	On-site	On-site
Minimum Coach Qualification	Club Coach NCCP Trained (Triathlon)	On-site Coach NCCP Trained (Triathlon)	On-site Coach NCCP Trained (Triathlon)	On-site Coach NCCP Trained (Triathlon)	Not applicable
Criminal Record Check for Vulnerable Sector	Required for all club Persons In Authority (PIA) when minors present	Required if minors coached	Required if minors coached	Required if minors present	Not required
Lifeguard	Not applicable	Required for swim	Required for swim	Required for swim	Required for swim
Itinerary	Not applicable	Not required	Not required	Submitted to TO	Not applicable
Route Maps	Not applicable	On-site	On-site	Submitted to TO	Submitted to TO
EAP	Not applicable	On-site	On-site	Submitted to TO	Submitted to TO
Travel Insurance	Not applicable	Not required	Not required	On-site	Not applicable
First Aid Kit	Not applicable	On-site	On-site	On-site	On-site
Sanction Deadline	Before membership discounts available	14 days	14 days	30 days	30 days
COI Request Deadline	Not applicable	7 days	7 days	21 days	21 days
Sanction Fee	$125	$0	$30	$105	$250
Application Link	CCN – Club	Online form	CCN – Clinic	CCN – Camp	CCN – Race

* Non-Triathlon-Ontario members attending sanctioned events must pay a one-day fee.

Online Forms

Downloadable Forms

Sanction Fees

Club	$150
Clinic	$30
Camp	$105
Race	$250

Single-Event Membership Fees

Single-Event Membership is made available to participants who wish to participate in one sanctioned event without becoming full Triathlon Ontario members.

Single-Event Membership fees are also known as one-day fees or day memberships, but can apply to certain multi-day events.

Event	Single-Event Membership Fee
Full Members, All Events	None
Kids 7 & Under, All Events	$4
Club Workout	$5
Clinic	$5
Camp	$10
Multisport Race >15km	$10
Multisport Race <15km (Try-a-Tri)	$10
Multisport Race: Winter, Indoor, Cross, or Special	$5
Single-Event Race: Swim, Bike, or Run	$5

Club Administrator FAQ

Clubs

What is a sanctioned club?

A sanctioned club is an organization of multisport athletes that is sanctioned by Triathlon Ontario.

Sanctioned clubs meet Triathlon Ontario standards for safe activities, coach qualifications, membership, and insurance.

Only sanctioned clubs have acces to Triathlon Ontario services and official club competitions. There are also a variety of benefits sanctioned clubs bring to their members.

What are the requirements to form a sanctioned club?

The following are the Triathlon Ontario requirements for a sanctioned club:

Maintain sanctioned status:
- Submit the online club sanction application annually;
- Agree to Triathlon Ontario’s sport principles;
- Provide contact information for a Club Administrator;
- Specify a qualified Club Coach, and;
- Pay the club sanctioning fee.

Employ qualified coaches:
- Coach in charge is NCCP Trained or higher in triathlon;
- All coaches are current Triathlon Ontario members in good standing, and;
- If minors are present, all PIA (Persons in Authority) have recent vulnerable sector criminal record checks on file with TO.
- If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI request has been completed and submitted to TO at least 14 days before the sanctioned event, and;
- If required, a list of non-member participants in an approved spreadsheet format, along with any one-day fees collected, is submitted to TO.

Run sanctioned training and events:
- Maintain Triathlon Ontario standards for safety of club training;
- Adhere to membership and waiver requirements for all participants in club training;
- Sanction all club training activities, and;
- Collect and remit any one-day fees.

Does a sanctioned club have to be incorporated, and/or a non-profit?

No.

Triathlon Ontario does not require that sanctioned clubs are organized in any particular way.

Who can be a club administrator?

A Club Administrator is the contact person for a sanctioned club.

Any Triathlon Ontario member in good standing can act as a club administrator.

Who Can Attend

Who can attend sanctioned club workouts?

Allowing athletes to attend sanctioned club activities is up to the club so long as Triathlon Ontario’s participant requirements are met.

Everyone must sign the current waiver;
All participants must be Triathlon Ontario members except as follows:
- Anyone can attend once, without a membership and without paying a one-day fee.
- Non-members who wish to attend more than one sanctioned club activity can pay a one-day fee.

The one-time exemption is intended to allow prospective members to try out a club workout before signing up.

One-day fees allow non-members the chance to attend club activities occasionally. Clubs can collect one-day fees at an event or activity and submit them to TO after the fact.

Note that in all cases non-member participants must read, understand, and sign the Triathlon Ontario Athlete Agreeement and Waiver of Liability, before participating.

Can members of other clubs attend my club’s workouts?

That’s up to your club.

All current Triathlon Ontario members are insured for any sanctioned activity – whatever club is running it. Your club doesn’t need to limit visiting members to one workout or charge them a one day fee.

You must verify that they have read, understood, and signed the current TO waiver, however. We recommend keeping paper waivers on hand and having all visitors sign.

How clubs handle visiting members is up to the club – clubs can limit attendance to their own members only, throw it wide open, charge a fee for non-club-members, or anything in between.

Triathlon Ontario does ask that all clubs extend reasonable club courtesy by allowing visiting TO members to occasionally join their workouts. If there’s a fee, we ask that visiting TO members receive a reasonable discount. This is a great way to meet triathletes from around the province and encourages development and networking within the sport.

What are current one-day fees for non-members attending club workouts?

Current one-day fees are as follows:

Kids (7 & under)	$2
Youth (8-15)	$6
Adults (16+)	$8

Clubs may collect one-day fees at club activities and submit them periodically.

Clubs are not required to clear one-day-fees in advance.

Please inform participants paying one-day fees that Triathlon Ontario will be happy to discount a one-year membership by the amount of a one-day fee. Members who have paid a one-day fee can email Triathlon Ontario to receive a discount code.

Waivers

What waivers are required?

All participants must sign the current Triathlon Ontario Athlete Agreement and Waiver of Liability.

This includes club members, coaches, and new athletes trying a workout.
A waiver must be signed before participating in any club activities.
Clubs are responsible for ensuring that participants are in fact current TO members and have read and signed the TO waiver. When in doubt, fill out a waiver.
All members must sign a new waiver each membership year.
One waiver is sufficient for all sanctioned club workouts in a given membership year.
The current TO waiver must be used verbatim and without changes, except that the club or event may be entered where indicated.
Multiples of the TO waiver are acceptable. Do not have participants sign additional or different waivers other than the current TO waiver.

Are both paper and electronic waivers accepted?

A signed hard copy (paper) of the Triathlon Ontario Athlete Agreement and Waiver of Liability (waiver) is acceptable in all cases.

Electronic waivers are acceptable if signed online through the NTRS (CCN). (National Triathlon Registration System – ccnbikes.com, the online registrar used for TO, race, and club registration.)

Electronic waivers other than those signed through the NTRS are not acceptable.

How long must a club keep signed waivers?

Seven years.

Clubs and event organizers are required to keep signed waivers intact, secure, and available on request for seven years from the date of the event. If the waiver covered a series of events or a period of time, the waiver must be kept for seven years from the end of the last event covered.

This is important because legal proceedings often begin well after the event, without any indication that liability may have occurred.

If your club or event registration is through the NTRS (National Triathlon Registration System), CCN will automatically keep your electronic waivers, secure and available to you and to Triathlon Ontario, for the required period.

What assistance is available for keeping paper waivers?

Though we encourage clubs and event organizers to use electronic waivers through the NTRS, Triathlon Ontario will accept and securely store waivers for sanctioned clubs.

Clubs may arrange to drop off accumulated waivers once per membership year. Waivers must be well-organized in standard file boxes with the club and date clearly indicated.

TO will store the waivers for the required period and automatically dispose of them after the required period.

Insurance

Why should my club and my club’s events be insured?

Organizations running sports related events have a legal duty of care to their participants. If there is an accident or injury to a participant or a bystander, insurance protects the club, coaches, and members from legal liability.

Particularly if your club is unincorporated, a legal claim might be made against all the members of your club. Club administrators will want to protect themselves, their directors, their coaches, and their members from any claims against them.

Sanctioned clubs can run sanctioned events. Sanctioned events are insured.

The process of obtaining a sanction also protects a club. Triathlon Ontario requirements for sanctioned events are designed to provide safety for participants and protection from liability for organizers. If these requirements are followed, club administrators can be assured that their events are run to a high standard and will withstand legal scrutiny.

If the club is sanctioned, are all the workouts insured?

No.

Any activity a sanctioned club runs is not automatically sanctioned.

In order to run a sanctioned event, the organizer must be itself sanctioned, as in a sanctioned club or sanctioned race organizer. The organizer may then apply to sanction an event, such as a club workout, clinic, camp, or race.

Until they’re approved such events are not sanctioned and therefore not insured.

Sanctioning an event involves informing Triathlon Ontario of the event and supplying any required information – usually related to safety – and agreeing to run the event with Triathlon Ontario’s standards.

Only sanctioned clubs can sanction and insure their events, so first make sure your club is sanctioned for the upcoming calendar year.

To sanction an event or series of events, ensure the event meets Triathlon Ontario requirements, then use one of the online forms to apply. Links are located on the Club Administrators’ page.

Unsanctioned events are not insured – neither the club nor the coaches will be protected from liability.

How long is insurance active?

Our insurance policy is active for one (1) year and is renewed each calendar year in December.

To avoid gaps in coverage, athletes should renew their membership and any optional insurance each year before January 1.

In order to run sanctioned events, clubs must renew their club sanction each year, before January 1.

Clubs may sanction their events at any time, however we encourage clubs to sanction all their club workouts at once for a particular calendar year.

Sanctioning and insurance for particular events – clinics, camps, and races – are valid for the sanctioned event only.

Do Triathlon Ontario members have sport accident benefits?

Yes.

Current Triathlon Ontario members in good standing are covered by our $50,000 sport accident policy when participating in sanctioned events.

This coverage includes TO sanctioned races and sanctioned events such as club workouts, clinics, and camps.

Triathlon Ontario members can optionally purchase extended sport accident coverage, which covers you anywhere, anytime you train.

Sport accident benefits do not cover one-day members.

Does the optional Triathlon Ontario bike insurance cover sanctioned club workouts?

It does.

Sanctioned club workouts are sanctioned activities in every way.

Clubs are insured for $5 million in liability, Triathlon Ontario members are insured for $50,000 sport accident, and members with optional bike insurance are insured for theft of and damage to the insured bicycle.

What are the limitations of Triathlon Ontario insurance?

Like every insurance policy, there are limitations to ours. Some of these are:

For liability:

Only sanctioned activities are covered;
All participants in sanctioned activities must be either full members or one-day members;
Paid lifeguards and medical providers are expected to have their own insurance and are not personally covered;
Insurance must be renewed each calendar year, and;
Race Directors must be specifically added to our policy.

For sport accident:

Only sanctioned activities are covered, unless additional coverage has been purchased;
One day members are not covered;
Insurance is valid for the calendar year (until December 31), and;
Members must be covered by OHIP or a government insurance plan.

For optional bike insurance:

Storage must be locked, and;
Only the specific insured bicycle(s) are covered.

How do I request a Certificate of Insurance?

Organizers of sanctioned events can request a certificate of insurance (COI) for their events.

Certificates of insurance are often required, particularly by municipalities and government ministries, to rent venues, close roads, or obtain various permits.

It should be understood that insurance is in force for all sanctioned events, regardless of whether a COI has been issued. A COI merely serves as proof of insurance for venues and organizations that require one in order to provide access or services to event organizers.

Club Administrators and Race Directors can request a COI using the online form. Be sure to consult the chart on this page and to request your COI before the due date for your event.

Request for Certificate of Insurance (COI)

Coaches

Does a club need a coach?

Yes.

Every sanctioned club must have at least one qualified Club Coach.

What qualifications do our club coaches need?

All club coaches currently require NCCP Community Coach (Triathlon) or higher.

All club coaches must be current Triathlon Ontario members in good standing.

If a coach regularly coaches minors (athletes under 18 years of age) a recent Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check) is required. This check must be less than 2 years old and must be on file with Triathlon Ontario.

What are the requirements for Criminal Record Checks?

All PIA (Persons In Authority) over minors (athletes under 18 years of age) require a recent vulnerable sector CRC (Criminal Record Check).

This includes all club members who have contact with and are in authority over minors – specifically coaches, club presidents, directors, administrators, and drivers.

This check must be less than 2 years old and must be on file with Triathlon Ontario.

Due to changes in law, these checks are not necessarily straightforward. Some people – through no fault of their own – may need to be fingerprinted in order to obtain a vulnerable sector CRC. This can take a long time, so we recommend being extremely proactive in obtaining CRCs early. This is especially true where an adult needs a CRC for a specific event such as a camp.

What kind of CRC you need depends on your age. This article tells you which you need.

If an E-PIC (Enhanced Police Information Check) is sufficient, you can obtain one online here. If you need a VSV (Vulnerable Sector Verification) it must be done at your local police station – these can’t be done online.

Once you have your check, scan and send

What are the upcoming changes to the requirements for club coaches?

Recent chances to Triathlon Canada’s coaching pathway mean that club coaches should take steps toward becoming a Triathlon Canada Registered Coach.

This involves:

Getting a CAC (Coaches Association of Canada) account (The Locker);
Registering with Triathlon Ontario and Triathlon Canada (done on CCN);
Completing Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders (online course);
Completing the Make Ethical Decisions module (available on The Locker), and;
Completing a level 1 Provincial Technical Official’s course (online course).

Club Workouts

What is a sanctioned club workout?

Club workouts are regular training activities provided by sanctioned clubs, primarily for club members as part of club membership.

Club workouts can:

Be one-off or recurring events;
Take place on any schedule;
Involve any type of workout relevant to triathlon, and;
Take place at any venue where the club regularly trains.

Clubs can apply to have their workouts sanctioned. Once a sanction is approved, club workouts are Triathlon Ontario sanctioned activities covered by our liability, sport accident, and optionally bike insurance.

On request, Triathlon Ontario will issue clubs with a COI for sanctioned club workouts. (Certificate Of Insurance – required to rent many venues.)

Sanctioning club workouts doesn’t cost anything, and clubs can run as many sanctioned club workouts as they require. This program allows clubs to safely and economically operate regular workouts for their members.

What are the requirements for a club to run a sanctioned club workout?

The following are the Triathlon Ontario requirements for a sanctioned club workout:

For all sanctioned club events:
- Run by a sanctioned club;
- Coach in charge is NCCP Trained or higher in triathlon and is a current Triathlon Ontario member in good standing;
- All participants are Triathlon Ontario members, one-day members, or are trying their first workout;
- All participants have read, understood, and signed the TO Athlete Agreement & Waiver of Liability;
- An EAP (Emergency Action Plan) is complete and present on site;
- A complete list of participants with emergency contact information is available on site;
- A complete first aid kit appropriate to the venue and workout is available on site and;
- A reliable means of contacting emergency services is available.

For the following circumstances, additional requirements apply:
- For all swim events, a qualified lifeguard or lifeguards are present;
- If minors are present, all PIA (Persons in Authority) have recent vulnerable sector criminal record checks on file with TO, and;
- If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI request has been completed and submitted to TO at least 14 days before the sanctioned event, and;
- If required, a list of non-member participants in an approved spreadsheet format, along with any one-day fees collected, is submitted to TO.

For sanctioned club workouts:
- A Club Workout Sanction Application has been submitted to and approved by Triathlon Ontario through the online form.

What Club workouts can be sanctioned?

Clubs can sanction any number of one-off and recurring club workouts, so long as they meet Triathlon Ontario requirements.

To be considered club workouts, events:

Are primarily for club members;
Are provided as part of a club membership, and;
Are not clinics, camps, or races.

To be sanctioned, club workouts must:

Meet all TO safety and qualification requirements.

Use the online form to sanction your club workouts. The form will allow you to sanction a variety of workouts as recurring activities so that you don’t have to sanction each one individually.

What are the limitations of club workouts?

The following types of events can’t be sanctioned as club workouts:

Events which are not part of a sanctioned club’s regular training program;
Events for which there is an extra charge above club membership (clinics);
Events that are open to non-TO members (clinics);
Events involving destination travel and/or more than one consecutive day of full-time training (camps),
Events for which a road closure is required, and;
Races.

All the above apply to both single events and series.

The limitations of club workouts are:

Workouts must meet Triathlon Ontario requirements regarding safety, coaching, and reporting;
Except for first-time participants, all coaches and participants must be current Triathlon Ontario members, and;
Clubs must apply for club workout sanctioning using the online form.

If your event is open to non-members, sanction it as a clinic.

If your event involves destination travel and/or more than one consecutive day of full-time training, sanction it as a camp. Note that out-of country camps will be approved on a case-by-case basis and there are additional requirements.

What’s the difference between a club workout and a clinic?

Club workouts are primarily for the members of a club and take place on a more-or-less regular schedule through all or part of the year. Non-members who attend regularly are expected to become members.

A clinic can be a one-off event or a series of training sessions that are open to the general public. Sessions are open to non-club and non-Triathlon Ontario members and there is no expectation that attendees will become members. One-day fees are required, though these may at the club’s option be built in to any participation fee.

What is the difference between a club workout and a camp?

Club workouts take place on a more-or-less regular schedule through all or part of the year. Club workouts are located close enough to participants that they can attend regularly.

Camps are multi-day events where training participation is primarily full-time. Camps usually involve destination travel – whether the participants are travelling to train or the club is hosting a camp closeby and participants are travelling to attend.

Multi-day, full-time training comes with many complications, especially when travel is involved. For these reasons additional requirements apply when sanctioning camps.

What are the sanction application and COI request deadlines for a club workout?

Generally, clubs are expected to submit a club workout sanctioning application for the upcoming calendar year in December.

Changes and additions are inevitable and expected. If workouts need to be added, a club workout sanction application must be complete and received by Triathlon Ontario no later than 14 days prior to the beginning of the club workout.

If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI Request must be complete and received by Triathlon Ontario no later than 21 days prior to the beginning of a club workout.

Clinics

What is a sanctioned clinic?

Clinics are one-off or recurring training activities provided by sanctioned clubs, which may be open to non-members and may require participation fees.

Clinics can:

Be one-off or recurring events;
Take place on any schedule;
Involve any type of workout relevant to triathlon;
Take place at any venue;
Be open to non-members, and;
Charge additional fees.

Like club workouts, clubs can apply to have their clinics sanctioned. Once a sanction is approved, clinics are Triathlon Ontario sanctioned activities covered by our liability, sport accident, and optionally bike insurance.

On request, Triathlon Ontario will issue clubs with a COI for sanctioned clinics. (Certificate Of Insurance – required to rent many venues.)

Sanctioning a clinic costs $30, payable online on completing the clinic sanctioning application through CCN. A series of similar training sessions can be sanctioned as one clinic.

This program allows clubs to safely and economically operate a wide variety of activities which are open to non-members, and for which they can charge for participation.

What are the requirements to run a sanctioned clinic?

The requirements to run a clinic are largely the same as for a club workout, with minor additions regarding non-members:

For all sanctioned club events:
- Run by a sanctioned club;
- Coach in charge is NCCP Trained or higher in triathlon and is a current Triathlon Ontario member in good standing;
- All participants are Triathlon Ontario members, one-day members, or are trying their first workout;
- All participants have read, understood, and signed the TO Athlete Agreement & Waiver of Liability;
- An EAP (Emergency Action Plan) is complete and present on site;
- A complete list of participants with emergency contact information is available on site;
- A complete first aid kit appropriate to the venue and workout is available on site and;
- A reliable means of contacting emergency services is available.

For the following circumstances, additional requirements apply:
- For all swim events, a qualified lifeguard or lifeguards are present;
- If minors are present, all PIA (Persons in Authority) have recent vulnerable sector criminal record checks on file with TO;
- If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI request has been completed and submitted to TO at least 14 days before the sanctioned event, and;
- If required, a list of non-member participants in an approved spreadsheet format, along with any one-day fees collected, is submitted to TO.

For sanctioned clinics:
- A Clinic Sanction Application has been submitted to and approved by Triathlon Ontario through CCN, and;
- The clinic sanctioning fee of $30 has been paid.

What types of clinics can be sanctioned?

Clubs can run clinics of many types. Clinics can be one-off events or a series of recurring events.

Some examples of clinics are:

A one-off training day for beginner athletes;
A ten-week series of Sunday-morning workouts;
A training day or series of workouts with a special guest coach;
Work-up training for a specific race, such as a familiarization swim, bike, and run on a race course;
A series of training sessions for a specific group of athletes, such as a youth development clinic;
An annual get-together with a workout;
A mock race or practice time trial, and;
A seasonal series of workouts in a specific sport, such as a series of early-season open water swims.

Events are considered clinics if any of the following apply:

The clinic is open to non-members, and;
There is a charge to participants.

A series of events which are part of a distinct series may be sanctioned as one clinic. Stand-alone, dissimilar, or irregular events will be sanctioned as separate clinics.

Camps or other events which involve destination travel or multiple days of full-time training may not be sanctioned as clinics.

What can’t be sanctioned as a clinic?

The following types of events can’t be sanctioned as clinics:

Events involving destination travel and/or more than one consecutive day of full-time training (camps), and;
Races.

All the above apply to both single events and series.

If your event involves destination travel and/or more than one consecutive day of full-time training, sanction the event as a camp. Note that out-of country camps will be approved on a case-by-case basis and there are additional requirements.

If your event includes a mock race or time trial which is primarily for training or standards purposes, entry fees other than donations and one-day memberships are not charged, and no road closures or use permits are required, your event can be sanctioned as a club workout (if open only to TO members) or as a clinic (if open to non-TO members).

Races, in particular if they require a road closure, can’t be sanctioned as clinics.

What’s the difference between a clinic and a club workout?

Club workouts are primarily for the members of your club and take place on a more-or-less regular schedule through all or part of the year. Non-members who attend regularly are expected to become members.

What is the difference between a clinic and a camp?

Clinics can be one-off events or a series of training sessions that are open to the general public. Sessions are open to non-club and non-Triathlon Ontario members and there is no expectation that attendees will become members. One-day fees are required, though these may at the club’s option be built in to any participation fee.

Clinics do not involve destination travel or multi-day, full-time training.

Multi-day, full-time training comes with many complications, especially when travel is involved. For these reasons additional requirements apply when sanctioning camps.

What are the sanction application and COI request deadlines for a clinic?

A camp sanction application must be complete and received by Triathlon Ontario no later than 14 days prior to the beginning of a clinic.

If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI Request must be complete and received by Triathlon Ontario no later than 7 days prior to the beginning of a clinic.

Camps

What is a sanctioned camp?

Camps are one-off training activities provided by sanctioned clubs, which involve multiple days of full-time training, destination travel, may be open to non-members and may require participation fees.

Camps can:

Take place over a number of consecutive days;
Involve destination travel, whether to a destination or hosted for travelling participants;
Involve any type of workout relevant to triathlon;
Take place at any venue, including out-of-province and out-of-country venues;
Be open to non-members, and;
Charge additional fees.

Like clinics, clubs can apply to have their camps sanctioned. Once a sanction is approved, camps are Triathlon Ontario sanctioned activities covered by our liability, sport accident, and optionally bike insurance.

On request, Triathlon Ontario will issue clubs with a COI for sanctioned ccamps. (Certificate Of Insurance – required to rent many venues.)

Sanctioning a camp costs $105, payable online on completing the camp sanctioning application through CCN.

This program allows clubs to safely and economically operate destination camps which are open to non-members, and for which they can charge for participation.

What types of camps can be sanctioned?

There are a great variety of camps. Some of the more common camps are:

An annual club getaway for training in a warm climate;
A camp for a specific group of participants, such as youth, development, or high-performance athletes;
Training to take advantage of a particular venue, geography, or terrain;
An opportunity to work with a specific guest coach;
Familiarization with a specific race course;
Cross training in a specific sport or discipline, and;
Competing at a specific race.

What are the requirements to run a sanctioned camp?

The requirements to run a camp are largely the same as for a clinic. Workout safety, coaching, and non-member requirements are the same, however various documents must be completed and submitted to Triathlon Ontario prior to a sanction being approved or a COI (Certificate of Insurance) being issued:

For all sanctioned club events:
- Run by a sanctioned club;
- Coach in charge is NCCP Trained or higher in triathlon and is a current Triathlon Ontario member in good standing;
- All participants are Triathlon Ontario members, single-event members, or are trying their first workout;
- All participants have read, understood, and signed the TO Athlete Agreement & Waiver of Liability;
- An EAP (Emergency Action Plan) is complete and present on site;
- A complete list of participants with emergency contact information is available on site;
- A complete first aid kit appropriate to the venue and workout is available on site and;
- A reliable means of contacting emergency services is available.

For the following circumstances, additional requirements apply:
- For all swim events, a qualified lifeguard or lifeguards are present;
- If minors are present, all PIA (Persons in Authority) have recent vulnerable sector criminal record checks on file with TO, (this includes drivers and accommodations for the entire camp duration, including off hours);
- If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI request has been completed and submitted to TO at least 30 days before the sanctioned event, and;
- If required, a list of non-member participants in an approved spreadsheet format, along with any one-day fees collected, is submitted to TO.

For all sanctioned camps:
- A Camp Sanction Application has been submitted to and approved by Triathlon Ontario through CCN, including the following:
- The camp sanctioning fee of $105
- Contact information for all camp coaches and staff;
- A camp itinerary including full street addresses and contact information for all workout and accommodation venues;
- Route maps for all outdoor activities;
- EAPs for all workouts, and;
- A participant list with full contact information for all participants.

For out-of-country camps:
- All participants, including coaches, have valid individual travel medical insurance for the entire camp duration.

Notes:

Guest coaches may be employed if they have particular expertise relevant to the training being done. If a guest coach is not a Triathlon Ontario Club Coach, they must be under the supervision of a TO Club Coach, who must be present and in charge at all times when the guest coach is in charge of athletes.
Out-of-country camps will be sanctioned and insured at the sole discretion of Triathlon Ontario. TO is under no obligation to accept any application, even if all requirements are met. TO may refuse any application for any reason whatsoever.

What are the requirements for out-of-country camps?

Out-of-country camps will only be approved on a case-by-case basis and at the sole discretion of Triathlon Ontario.

In addition to the requirements in-country camps, the following requirements apply to out-of country camps:

All participants, including coaches, have valid individual travel medical insurance for the entire camp duration.

What’s the difference between a camp and a club workout?

Multi-day, full-time training comes with many complications, especially when travel is involved. For these reasons additional requirements apply when sanctioning camps.

Club workouts do not involve destination travel or multi-day, full-time training.

What is the difference between a camp and a clinic?

Multi-day, full-time training comes with many complications, especially when travel is involved. For these reasons additional requirements apply when sanctioning camps.

Clinics do not involve destination travel or multi-day, full-time training.

Can participating in local activities and races be included in sanctioned camp activities?

Athletes participating in destination camps often wish to participate in local activities such as club rides and races.

Local activities and races can be included in sanctioned camp activities if the following requirements are met:

The activity, event, or or race is included in the camp sanction application with all required documentation;
The activity, event, or race is organized according to safety standards comparable to those of Triathlon Ontario;
The activity, event, or or race is approved by the appropriate local sport organization, and;
The activity, event, or race is locally insured.

Only camp participants who are Triathlon Ontario members may participate as part of a sanctioned camp activity.

What are the sanction application and COI request deadlines for a camp?

A camp sanction application must be complete and received by Triathlon Ontario no later than 30 days prior to the beginning of a camp.

If a COI (Certificate of Insurance) is required, a COI Request must be complete and received by Triathlon Ontario no later than 21 days prior to the beginning of a camp.