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John Lunt has been appointed as the London 2012 Organising Committee’s Sport Competition Manager for Triathlon.
John will be responsible for all the planning, organisation and management of the Olympic Triathlon event at the Games, which takes place in Hyde Park, central London.
On his appointment, John said: “It is a fantastic honour to have been selected for this position. To be involved in the London 2012 Games must be the pinnacle of any race organiser’s career and I’m looking forward to the challenge. Having lived in London for the past 25 years, I will be very proud to bring this colourful, dynamic and exciting sport to the heart of London. The Triathlon will be one of the highlights of the Games, showcasing some of the most famous and historic landmarks of the capital, along with some of the finest athletes in the world.”
David Luckes, Head of Sport Competition at the London 2012 Organising Committee, commented: “I am delighted that John is joining us. He has a wealth of Triathlon event experience, and has the knowledge and enthusiasm to make the Triathlon event in Hyde Park a spectacular success in London in 2012.”
Les McDonald, President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU), said: “John is a friend of the ITU family. I look forward to John’s presence in China this year at the Changping Reservoir, with the Great Wall of China overlooking the triathletes, the officials, spectators and the IOC family for the Olympic Triathlon event. John will learn lots more about the Olympic Dream for Triathlon. He has organised many events in England, and has already trod every inch of Hyde Park, the London 2012 Olympic course.”
Dr Sarah Springman OBE, President of the British Triathlon Federation, said: “John Lunt has been a major contributor to triathlon since its inception in England/Great Britain in the early eighties. Initially as a triathlete, and later as a race organiser, he has initiated and developed many multisport events, winning British Triathlon's 'Event of the Year' accolade so many times that he was allowed to keep the trophy! British Triathlon is delighted that the organiser of the hugely successful Commonwealth Games triathlon will be responsible for the Olympic Triathlon Competitions. It will be a marvellous opportunity to showcase the sport of triathlon and the city of London to the world and to continue to promote the current dynamic growth at home, and worldwide.”
John’s key responsibilities include the overseeing of all aspects of the Triathlon competition and to be the focal point for liaison with the International Federation (IF). He will ensure that the competition is organised in accordance with IF rules, the International Olympic Committee Charter and the Host City Contract. John will liaise with other functional areas to ensure the coordinated delivery of support services such as accreditation, venue operations, medical service and volunteers.
John will travel to the Beijing Olympic Games to see what lessons can be learned from the Triathlon event there and will initially take up his position on a part-time basis, becoming full time in 2010. The London 2012 Organising Committee is in the process of appointing competition managers for all sports in the Olympic Games and for most of the sports in the Paralympic Games. All will travel to the Beijing Games to observe their particular sport in action.
John is an accomplished Triathlon organiser with over 20 years’ experience. A regular triathlete and marathon runner himself, John previously worked as competition manager for the Commonwealth Games Triathlon in Manchester in 2002. Following this, John has been race director of the five highly successful Salford ITU World Cup Triathlons, the only World Cup triathlons staged in the UK. He has an excellent working relationship with both the IF – the International Triathlon Union (ITU) – and the national governing body – the British Triathlon Federation. He is also currently the President of British Triathlon’s London Regional Committee.
A qualified International Technical Official (ITO), John keeps himself familiar with ITU current best practice by working as a volunteer at ITU Triathlon World Cups and Triathlon World Championships. He also worked as an ITO at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Triathlon in Melbourne, Australia, and at the test event for the 2006 Asian Games Triathlon in Doha.
John began his career in local authority leisure management and in 1990 he founded Human Race Events Ltd. Since then, his team has been organising over 15 multi-sport events each year, including triathlons, duathlons and single-discipline races.
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