Selection Policy
1 Introduction
1.1 The Faroe Islands Island Games (the “Games”) will take place between 3 and 9 July 2027. The purpose of this policy is to set out the basis on which the team to represent Jersey in triathlon (the “IG Squad”) will be selected.
2 Athlete Eligibility
2.1 In order to be considered for selection to the IG Squad an athlete should:
- not be currently under disqualification or suspension under the Rules of the relevant International Federation or their own member Sports Association,
- meet the requirements of section 6 the IIGA Operational Guidelines available at https://iiga.org./constitution.html, broadly meaning
o you were born in Jersey; or
o you will have been resident in Jersey for 12 months as at the start of the Games,
- be at least 16 years of age on 31 December 2027 to be considered for the Individual Triathlon
- be at least 15 years of age 31 December 2027 to be considered for the Mixed Team Relay event.
- have expressed their interest in being a member of the IG Squad in writing to Island Games Team Manager Dave Holmes before 10 July 2026 (any athlete meeting at least this criteria will be considered a “Prospective Athlete”) and
- be a member in good standing of the JTC,
- be a member of British Triathlon or another triathlon National Governing Body. Any athlete meeting all of the above criteria will be an “Eligible Athlete”.
3 Format and Team Composition
3.1 The triathlon competition comprises five separate medal events (“Events”) taking place on two days which are:
- Male Individual
- Female Individual
- Team Event – Male
- Team Event – Female
- Mixed Team Relay
3.2 Under the current Triathlon By-Laws the maximum team size is ten, made up of male and female athletes of any combination to compete in both the individual races and the Mixed Team Relay. Due to the nature of the event at the 2027 Games (in particular the pool swim format) changes may be made to further limit the team size or the gender balance.
To be considered for the team events (excluding the relay) there must be a minimum of 3 women for the women’s event and a minimum of 3 men for the men’s event (subject to certain conditions).
3.3 The individual event is expected to be a sprint distance triathlon with a pool swim. Due to the revised format for these Games changes to the By-Laws have been agreed by the Technical Committee to support the event and full details of the format are expected to be confirmed during 2026. It is anticipated that the cycle section will be draft-legal but no final decision has been taken on this point. Regardless of whether drafting is permitted or not the event will be restricted to road bikes only (no TT bikes/bars).
3.4 The Mixed Team Relay event will consist of a 300m pool swim, 7km cycle and 1.5km run. Teams of 2 males and 1 female athlete will compete with a maximum of 3 teams per Island.
3.5 The events will follow ITU rules.
4 Selection Races
4.1 In order to replicate the conditions of the Games a selection race or races (the “Selection Races”) will be organised during the 2026 season consisting of one or more pool based sprint distance triathlon (draft legal or drafting depending on confirmed Games rules). Development athletes may race over a shorter distance at the Selection Races. The Selection Races may be open to all club members or may be a closed event for Eligible Athletes only. Further details will be provided to all JTC members.
5 Qualifying Time
5.1 No qualifying time is required to be an Eligible Athlete, however as a guide we would expect athletes able to complete a sprint distance triathlon in under 1 hour and 10 minutes (Male) and 1 hour and 20 minutes (female) to be considered.
5.2 The Selection Committee may modify the times in 5.1 up and down if in their view the conditions of the Selection Races justify or require it. Such modifications will be at the complete discretion of the Selection Committee.
5.3 The Selection Committee may consider a result in any event other than the Selection Races. Any application to have such a result treated as a Qualifying Time should be made as early as possible to Dave Holmes. The Selection Committee will have absolute discretion in whether to allow or not, the result of an alternative race and would normally only consider such a request where:
- the athlete was able to demonstrate that they were unavailable to race one or both Selection Races due to illness, injury or racing at another elite event (evidence may be required)
or - the athlete competed in at least one of the Selection Races but was unable to perform at their normal level due to illness, injury, crash or a mechanical issue.
6 Development Athletes
6.1 Any Prospective Athlete born on or after 1 January 2007 (i.e. under 20 at 31 December 2027) will automatically be considered a Development Athlete.
6.2 Development Athletes may not have an appropriate time in the Selection Races or even any Qualifying Time (for welfare reasons no Qualifying Time is expected from an athlete born on or after 1 January 2011). The Selection Committee will consider other factors in determining a Development Athlete’s suitability.
6.3 The Selection Committee may choose up to two Development Athletes in place of other Eligible Athletes if in their view such a choice is for the long term benefit of the Development Athletes and/or the Jersey team.
7 Previous medallists
7.1 If an Eligible Athlete is the reigning champion of the individual triathlon event at the previous Games then selection would normally be guaranteed, subject to evidence of continued training and racing since the last Games.
7.2 If an Eligible Athlete was a bronze or silver medalist in the individual triathlon event at the previous Games then this would be considered a strong indication for selection, subject to evidence of continued training and racing since the last Games.
8 Selection Committee
8.1 The Selection Committee will consist of three individuals to be decided by the JTC General Committee plus a non-voting member in attendance being the Team Manager.
8.2 Any member of the Selection Committee will immediately step down (and may be replaced by another individual to be decided by the JTC General Committee) if they are connected in any material way with a Prospective Athlete. The Selection Committee must declare any potential conflicts of interest before the selection process commences and the remaining Selection Committee members and Team Manager shall determine whether the potentially conflicted member should step down.
8.3 The Selection Committee will select up to sixteen Eligible Athletes (male or female) to form the IG Squad. Up to ten of the IG Squad will be Core Members (this number may be lower where event rules are amended to further limit the team size). Up to six members will be designated as Reserve Members. For non-Development Athletes, this selection and subsequent ranking within the IG Squad will be primarily based on Selection Races and Qualifying Times, though the Selection Committee may reasonably use other criteria at their discretion.
Other criteria may include but is not limited to selecting a minimum of three male and/or three female athletes to have a complete team; selecting the male/female athletes based on the ratio of male to female athletes in the Mixed Team Relay and any other team size limitations imposed by the organisers. Future potential of Development Athletes and the experience they would gain at the Games may also be taken into account.
8.4 A Preliminary Decision on the composition of the IG Squad will be made on or before 31 October 2026 and communicated only to the Prospective Athletes. Prospective Athletes must not publicly announce any Preliminary Decision whether selected or not.
8.5 A Final Decision on selection will be publicly announced on or after 15 November 2026.
8.6 The Selection Committee once formed will have full discretion over the IG Squad composition and may reasonably amend this selection policy if they deem it necessary.
9 Accepting a place in the IG Squad, costs and time commitment.
9.1 Athletes should confirm acceptance of their place in the Squad within 7 days of an offer being made.
9.2 Athletes will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of up to £200 to secure their place. Athletes will not be expected to commit to a place in the Squad until an indication of expected costs has been provided by the Team Manager.
9.3 Athletes are responsible for the costs of attending the Games including travel and accommodation costs which will be arranged by Team Jersey.
9.4 Any fundraising and sponsorship arranged for the Team will be used solely to reduce costs for travelling athletes.
9.5 Any selected athlete who withdraws after paying a deposit or any additional payments towards costs will not be entitled to any refund, except to the extent that JTC is able to recover any payments made for the Games.
9.6 An athlete may not transfer their commitment or obligations to any other athlete including a Reserve athlete. On withdrawal any replacement to a Core Member is at the discretion of the Selection Committee
10 Ongoing Commitment
10.1 Any member of the IG Squad will be expected and trusted to train so as to achieve their very best performance in the Faroe Islands. They should not feel pressure to be at peak performance for any local or other races in the lead up to The Games.
10.2 The Selection Committee may in exceptional circumstances remove any individual from the IG Squad if in their informed view the individual’s fitness or ability to train/compete has been substantially compromised (such a decision would constitute a Removal Decision).
10.3 All members of the IG Squad are reminded they are representing Jersey, the sport of triathlon and the JTC. They are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at all times. If an athlete is deemed by the Selection Committee to be in contravention of this point the athlete in question may be removed from the IG Squad and the athlete’s ability to compete at future Island Games may be compromised (such a decision would constitute a Removal Decision).
10.4 If an athlete voluntarily drops out or is removed from the IG Squad, then unless they are Sixth Reserve, their place will be filled as follows; First Reserve will replace a Core Member, Second Reserve will replace First Reserve and Third Reserve will replace Second Reserve etc.
10.5 The Selection Committee may promote a Reserve other than First Reserve to be a Core Member (as described above) if, in the view of the Selection Committee, doing so improves the chances of a medal in any Event.
10.6 After 1 December 2026, the Selection Committee may appoint further members to fill either Core or Reserve spots if required. As the time to the Island Games approaches the criteria used to fill such spots will be more based on ability to travel at short notice and current levels of fitness rather than the Selection Races.
10.7 All members of the IG Squad should inform the Team Manager of anything which may materially affect their performance or training at or in the lead up to the Games. The Team
Manager in turn should regularly communicate with the Selection Committee to ensure it is fully informed of any such material matters.
10.8 The Jersey team is expected to depart Jersey on 1st July and return to Jersey on 10th July. Independent travel to or from the Faroe Islands will only be considered in exceptional circumstances except for athletes who are not normally resident in Jersey. Selected Athletes who wish to arrange to travel independently from the Jersey Team should notify the Team Manager within 14 days of accepting a place on the IG Squad.
10.9 Team accommodation will be arranged by the Team Manager and the Island Games Association Jersey in conjunction with the Games organisers. Team members are expected to stay at the arranged Team accommodation. Selected Athletes who wish to arrange accommodation independently should notify the Team Manager within 14 days of accepting a place on the IG Squad.
11 Appeals
11.1 Any Prospective Athlete may appeal any Preliminary Decision or Removal Decision by the Selection Committee by stating their reasons for appealing the decision in writing to the Team Manager within 7 days of the date of the Preliminary/Removal Decision.
11.2 Within two weeks of receiving an appeal the Team Manager together with the Selection Committee will respond to the athlete.
11.3 If an athlete is still dissatisfied with the response they must immediately inform the JTC Committee through committee member Sarah Corcoran who will appoint an Appeals Panel consisting of three JTC members of their choosing (though none may be from the Selection Committee or connected to any affected athlete) to make a final determination. At this point any other potentially affected athletes (by virtue of a decision of the Selection Committee being overturned) should be informed and also allowed to make their case to that Appeals Panel. NB there may be more than one Appeals Panel.
11.4 Any decision by an Appeals Panel will be final.
Team Manager:
Dave Holmes
07829 710920
david.holmes@firstactuary.co.uk
JTC Committee member:
Sarah Corcoran
07797 783104
pscorcoran2001@yahoo.co.uk
Selection Committee:
Andy Ruddy
Sarah Corcoran
Mark Wanless
Links:
Games website: https://www.faroeislands2027.fo/
British Triathlon: https://www.britishtriathlon.org/
IIGA website: https://www.iiga.org/
Constitution and Operational Guidelines: https://iiga.org/constitution.html
Triathlon By-Laws: https://www.iiga.org/media//bylaw/Triathlon%20By- laws%20July%202022.pdf