When should I give a warning instead of a penalty?

Penalty options (World Triathlon rule 3.1): an athlete may be verbally warned, given a time penalty, disqualified, suspended or expelled. The nature of the violation decides which.

Warnings (rule 3.2) are meant to alert athletes to a possible violation and encourage officials to be proactive. A warning may be given when:

• the athlete breaks a rule unintentionally;
• you believe a violation is about to happen; or
• no advantage has been gained.

How to warn: blow your whistle, stop the athlete if necessary, ask them to correct what they're doing, then let them carry on straight away.

You do not have to give a warning before penalising a more serious violation that could lead to disqualification, suspension or expulsion.

Time penalties (rule 3.3) are for infringements that don't warrant disqualification. On the age-group run, an infringement may be dealt with by a warning or a time penalty on the spot.

Suspension and expulsion (rules 3.7 and 3.8): for fraudulent or very severe violations, the Head Referee reports to the World Triathlon Tribunal within a week of the race. Suspensions run from 3 months to 4 years. Repeated violations that each earn a suspension lead to expulsion for life.