My Forum

Cheerful Dave, it would have been nice, in that case, if Monaco had done what some other triathlons (as as those quoted by fat buddha) had done and mentioned that affiliated clubs counted for the purpose - because it certainly didn't look like it before withdrawal. I suppose that's one of the things learned as a rookie - competition rule-writers don't always write what they mean.

Here is what TriStar Monaco says about the subject:

DAY LICENSE
If you are not licensed athletes, you can participate in the TriStar111 relay race with a One-Day-License from the FMTri.
During your registration, fill in and sign the application and join:
30€ for the FFTri one-day-licence in cash
medical certificate indicating that you are allowed to participate in a triathlon competititon. This certificate has to be not older than 6 months.

Nowhere does it mention affiliated clubs being eligible for such treatment, only FFTri. So no, being a British Triathlon member turns out not to be sufficient in this case, only membership of FFTri. Whether the BTF realises this is another matter entirely, but the team has to comply with event rules if it is to compete without worrying about unexpected expenses or entry invalidation (I know you've said that the latter is unlikely, but the former should be enough deterrant in itself).

I cannot speak for the triathlon fat buddha is entering as it is being run by a different organiser. If they have chosen to respect BTF membership as equivalent to FFTri, then I foresee no difficulties in his entry, or that of any other BTF member.

fat buddha, I'm thinking truthfully. I don't see why thinking falsely (as several in this thread appear to want me to do) would help anybody.

The runner (who as I stated on several previous occasions, is the one coming in at short notice) is the one who'd need the certificate (or, if it really does exempt, which I'm now seriously starting to doubt given the inaccuracy of other information I've been given here, the British Triathlon membership). The way the regs for Monaco were written implied a (short) medical was needed unless the competitor was specifically a member of the French equivalent of British Triathlon, and that being a member of some other triathlon organisation would not yield reciprocal rights (unless of course the triathlon organisation's rules required a medical at least once per year and gave the competitor a written confirmation that said medical had happened). The cyclist was the one doubting the timetable.

The race management aren't the ones who most need the certificate to be genuine (in theory they could throw you out or sue if you offered a false one (and, in the latter case, caused the organisers to incur extra expense), but they'd probably think the medical expenses you incurred if you got injured and invalidated your insurance would be punishment enough). It's the travel insurance people and the medical staff. And in the first instance, those in the group with an invalidated-insuranced individual (i.e. the relay team-mates) are the ones who have to clear up the mess. A lack of known pre-existing conditions does not act as exemption for regulatory or travel requirements. You can - or should be able to - see why the cyclist was worried.

Many travel insurance companies state they cover non-professional triathlons in the small print. A couple insure it if you tell them and/or pay a supplement, but many will do so for no extra cost or information (especially if they are below a particular distance). The EHIC site, alongside most other travel sites, shows clearly that EHIC doesn't cover all expenses, so depending on one of those alone is fairly pricey (of course, some insurers consider medical elements EU insurance invalid if you don't have an EHIC as you would not have defrayed costs to the highest reasonable extent).

There's a limit as to how joined-up thinking can be for any event involving multiple people (wherever it is located). One can control one's own actions but not those of a team-mate! I guess what I can control is who are my team-mates in the first place. Given how... ...casual... certain respondents have been to regulatory and travel requirements, I will clearly have to be more careful with anyone invited from this forum. This saddens me, but it has to be done.

Dave the Ex-Spartan, many travel insurances cover non-professional triathlons, including some surprisingly cheap ones (though some limit the distance they will cover). Even the professional variety is covered by a handful of specialist covers. Yes, they cost a bit more, but they cost a lot less than getting an injury not covered on insurance or EHIC. It's a question of checking the small print, but there is quite a lot of choice.

The person checking the certificate at the triathlon won't have seen my doctor's certificate, but I would expect the insurance company, at the very least, to find that out (and, for that matter, whether the doctor mentioned on the document had seen and agreed with it) if there's a claim that hinged upon such a certificate. That would be just common sense.

Short version: it's a lot easier for people to consider themselves justified in taking the kind of risk Dave The Ex-Spartan proposes when they know their team-mates won't suffer for it on account of not having any on their particular race entry. 

Prince Siegfried, you do realise it took me over 2 weeks to get the GP to let me visit? And that was with a fairly co-operative GP?

As for the idea of forging a medical certificate, I find that completely unacceptable and contrary to the point of one, which is to act as a check (flimsy as it may be) to ensure people are not going to try something utterly stupid. You do realise that travel insurance is invalid for anyone who relies on a forgery to get into a triathlon (as forgery is considered a criminal act and the entry would have relied on that forgery)? So if someone entering on a forgery got injured in the process of the race to the point of needing off-site treatment, they'd end up having to pay the whole thing themselves? Maybe the organisers might not be too worried about spotting forgeries, but the hospitals and insurance companies have people who are paid to do that sort of thing...

(Besides, I haven't seen my current doctor's signature because the last time I visited my doctor - 14 years ago - it was the previous one before he retired!)