Who are the technical officials at a triathlon, and what does each one do?
Rule- South Africa
- Triathlon South Africa
- World Triathlon rules
- Age-Group 16+
- Technical officials
- 2026
- Officials
Triathlon South Africa is World Triathlon's member federation, so its sanctioned races use the World Triathlon Competition Rules (2026 edition, amended 29 April 2026). Under rule 11:
- Minimum age: technical officials must be at least 19 on 31 December of the year of the race.
- Required at every race: a Technical Delegate and a Head Referee.
| Role | Duties |
|---|---|
| Technical Delegate (TD) | Makes sure all aspects of the competition rules and the event organisers' manual are met. Can have the organisers change competition conditions at any time. Appoints the Competition Jury |
| Assistant Technical Delegate | Helps the TD |
| Head Referee | Checks officials' certification, makes final judgements on rule violations, and signs the results to make them official |
| Chief Race Official | Assigns and monitors the work of all technical officials |
| Technical officials | Assigned to areas such as registration, start, finish, transition, swim, swim exit, bike, run, aid and wheel stations, penalty boxes, lap counting, video review and vehicle control. They enforce the rules in their area, and one official may cover more than one position |
The TD and Head Referee of the same event may not be closely related (first-degree relationship). Volunteers on the field of play must be trained to World Triathlon's minimum standard.
Language: cards and calls are made in English, for example "Drafting penalty, you have to stop at the next penalty box".
Added 22 Oct 2026