Britain's Harry Wiltshire has received notice from the International Triathlon Union (ITU) that he has been suspended for six months for unsportsmanlike conduct. Wiltshire receives the suspension for aggressively impeding world champion Javier Gomez during the swim portion of the 2011 Pontevedra ETU Triathlon European Championships race, which was won by British teammate Alistair Brownlee.
The suspension has been backdated to June 26 and prohibits Wiltshire from taking part in ITU competitions or competitions sanctioned by national federations affiliated to the ITU.
An angry Javier Gomez criticized Wiltshere's conduct on Twitter and his online blog after the race.
Press Release:
The International Triathlon Union (ITU), the worldwide governing body for triathlon, today announced it has imposed a six-month suspension on British triathlete Harry Wiltshire due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the 2011 Pontevedra ETU Triathlon European Championships on June 25, 2011.
The suspension begins June 26, 2011 and prohibits Wiltshire from taking part in ITU competitions or competitions sanctioned by National Federations affiliated to ITU.
Following the elite men's race at the European Championships, Wiltshire's alleged unsafe and unsportsmanlike conduct during the race was investigated. The ITU Executive Board voted to impose a six-month suspension against Wiltshire based on the evidence from the race and testimonies from the on-course technical officials. Wiltshire had already been disqualified by the Chief Swim Official based on violations to the ITU Competition Rules (2.1 a.) (i), 3.3 a.) (i), Appendix L 6, and Appendix L 7). This decision was upheld by the Referee and there was no appeal by the athlete's federation upon notification.
The ITU is strongly committed to maintaining the integrity of the sport by ensuring athletes are competing within the competition rules and with a high degree of sportsmanship.
Video footage of Wiltshire and Gomez at the 2011 Pontevedra ETU Triathlon European Championships. Around the 1:20 mark you'll see the blocking in question.
