The final WTCS race of the regular season awaits in Sunderland.
Notwithstanding that the athletes will have a final chance to log points at the Olympic Test Event in Paris, Sunderland will mark the beginning of the end of the Series before attention turns to the Final in Pontevedra in September.
Yet apprehension may stalk the minds of the organisers over the coming weeks.
On the first day of the Second Test of the Ashes at Lords (London), two Just Stop Oil protestors invaded the pitch to cast orange powder across the ground. They were summarily dealt with but their protest opens a question.
Will they strike in Sunderland?
The protests have not been confined to London as the prior stunt at the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield demonstrated. In April, the organisers of the London Marathon parlayed a deal with Extinction Rebellion to prevent any disruption, although a large part of that stemmed from the emphasis of the charitable side of the event.
While any attempt to predict what will happen would be pure guesswork, there are reasons to think that Just Stop Oil will and will not make their presence known when the WTCS arrives in the UK.
For starter’s, triathlon does not have the same scale of charity and goodwill behind it as an event such as the London Marathon. When it comes to hopes of coming to similar compromise as the Marathon, then, the odds are slim.
The attention angle could also determine the fate of WTCS Sunderland. Perhaps triathlon is too small scale to draw the requisite media coverage. Publicity appears to be a major driving force behind the Just Stop Oil strategy and if triathlon cannot promise that then the event may be overlooked for juicier alternatives.
At the same time, compared to cricket and rugby stadiums, a triathlon course is a far softer target. It would be nigh-on impossible to police the entire route and an intervention by protestors would not be logistically difficult. On a risk-reward calculus, the simplicity of the event could outweigh its relative lack of profile.
The primary motive behind the Just Stop Oil protests has been environmental with the group seeking to use alternative means of lobbying to pressure the British government to halt all new oil, gas and coal projects.
Ostensibly triathlon has little to do with that. However it is hard to deny that there is a strong environmental cost to the sport. Beyond the impacts of the ecological footprint of the sport itself, the fact remains that the race only has to serve as a stage. There does not necessarily have to be any greater meaning behind the targeting of the race beyond its utility in spreading the message.
With that in mind, the prospects of the event will almost entirely hinge on the whims of Just Stop Oil.
A safety element will likely come into play. The athletes attain high speeds on the bike and any intervention during that discipline could spell disaster for all involved. The swim also seems fairly immune to intervention unless any protestors fancy a dip into the sea. Even then, it would be far easier to cut the cameras away and deprive them of coverage.
Transition would thus make for a much likelier target. With the athletes concentrated in one place, the focus of the cameras will be taken up by one space. Moreover the grandstand around transition and the finish line will contain plenty of fans and media.
It should also be noted that plenty of athletes and fans share the environmental sympathies of the protestors. Regardless of one’s stance on the message, tactics and broader socio-political debate, though, the fact remains that there is nothing intrinsic to WTCS Sunderland that would deter disruption.
Given the current penchant for protest at sporting events, triathlon could well be one of the next in line to be hit.
