CEO Update | June 2025

This month has flown by! This is often the feeling the team has when we’re into race season. I love a stat (but don’t we all when we look at our Strava after a swim, bike or run) my favourite stat this month is that race starts are up 6.4% at the end of May compared to end of May 2024, what that looks like in terms of race starts is 3369 race starts compared to 3166. Our aim is for more race starts than the 8640 in 2024, on a personal level I need to toe the start line more than I did in 2024.

As I write this, news is just breaking of fantastic results from the World Cross Champs in Spain for two of our athletes. Isla Hedley and Mia Padmanabhan taking gold and bronze respectively in the U23 race. Absolutely amazing result and I am delighted for them both!

My month started on the 1st June at the Lochore Meadows Sprint Triathlon, a brilliant day of racing with four seasons in one day, from blue skies and sunglasses on to torrential downpours and wind. Welcome to racing in Scotland! It was great to catch up with Race Director Peter Ness as well as catch a few words with TO Linda Lucey…and share my Haribos.

In between the showers I managed to get a word with MC Joel Enoch as he kept me smiling with the music choices. 

One sector, one voice 

I recently spent the day with other leaders from across the sports and leisure sector hosted by sportscotland looking at how we work closer together to get more people physically active and participating in sport across Scotland.  The backdrop to the meeting was looking at how we deal with the challenges of reduced funding, rising energy costs, changing society and pressure on household incomes.  As Forbes Dunlop the CEO sportscotland put it we need to ultimately speak as one voice across the sector.  We have to work closer together be it across sports, with our leisure Trust partners as we all need each other to face these challenges head on and help the sector thrive.  There are no quick and easy fixes, but the commitment to work together is there and that gives me real hope. 

Commonwealth Games Scotland AGM 

Along with other member sports of Commonwealth Game Scotland I attended their AGM on 2nd June here in Stirling.  As well as the formal business of the AGM there were presentations and Q&A with both Katie Sadleir, Commonwealth Sport CEO and Jade Gallagher, Chief Operating Officer Glasgow 2026. 

The main takeaway for me was what the future of the Games looks like.  The confirmation that there are five expressions of interest in hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games is pleasing with Canada, Nigeria and India all publicly known.  The host city / country will be announced in November this year.  Also being announced this year is the host for the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games. 

Celtic Cup 

Hopefully you’ve seen Celtic Cup posts across our socials.  The number of members that have registered their intent to qualify for the Scottish Age-Group team is great.  I’ll be at the qualifying race at Monikie Standard distance to watch, cheer and support races during the day, come and say hi.  There is still time to register your intention to qualify and hopefully join us on the start line representing Scotland at Llandudno on October 4th.  You can find out more about the Celtic Cup here  https://www.triathlonscotland.org/events/celtic-cup/    

Welsh Triathlon and Race Organisers Always Aim High posted this to promote the race and the event https://www.instagram.com/reel/DH8sx4pNMZc/?hl=en-gb – it gives you a sense of the course. 

Steve
Triathlon Scotland CEO