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Becoming a Technical Official (TO) is very straight forward – to enter the program simply:

• Register to the Technical Officials Portal
• Sign up for a Provincial Technical Official Level 1 course (PTO-1)

Once you have completed your PTO-1 course there are a couple of things you need to do right in the portal before you head out on to the field of play.  These are:

• Complete an Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC)
• Complete Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders

From here, it is off to the races!  You’ll join a dedicated network of officials from across the country supported by your Provincial Sport Organization and Triathlon Canada.  You will learn everything from ethics and decision-making to event organization through ongoing mentorship by senior members of the Triathlon Canada technical team.

Regardless of where they are now in their officiating careers, all Canadian Technical Officials started their journey at the same place, as a PTO-1 in their local communities!

The Triathlon Canada Technical Officials Portal is our training and education hub for all registered officials.  Some of the features include:

• A personalized transcript to track your progress
• A Learning Management System (LMS) for online training
• Enhanced Police Information Checks as needed
• Respect training as needed
• General liability insurance coverage through Jones Brown
• A centralized database of workshops
• Reminders for renewals and courses
• Access to additional resources, tools and downloads
• Direct contact with your support team

All of our Technical Officials are critical volunteers supporting the sport of triathlon in Canada.  With this in mind, we strive to subsidize the Technical Officials program as much as possible.

Triathlon Canada’s Technical Officials program is recognized by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) as part of the Accredited Technical Officials Education Program (ATOEP). Triathlon Canada recognizes five levels of official in order of increasing responsibility:

• Provincial Technical Official level 1 (PTO-1),
• Provincial Technical Official level 2 (PTO-2),
• National Technical Official (NTO, also known as ITU-1),
• Continental Technical Official (CTO, also known as ITU-2), and
• Two levels of International Technical Official (ITO, also known as ITU-3A and 3B).

Provincial technical officials programs are administered by the Provincial Sport Organizations using materials from the National Federation.  The NTO program is administered by Triathlon Canada using materials from the ITU. The CTO and ITO programs are administered by the ITU. See below for more information on each level.

The Provincial Technical Official Level 1 (PTO-1) is the first level of certification for all Technical Officials.  This group makes up about half of the triathlon Technical Officials (TOs) in Canada.  PTO-1 learn the core rules of triathlon in a grassroots context as well as how to enforce them. 

When certified, PTO-1 are qualified to fill the following positions at a provincial age-group event:

• Sector Assistant
• Sector Chief
• Head Referee

After a minimum of two (2) years as a PTO-1, these officials may be eligible to advance to PTO-2.

Provincial Technical Official Level 2 (PTO-2) provides a more in-depth focus on event standards and event management. Prerequisites for taking this course include:

• A minimum of two (2) years of experience as a PTO-1
• Extensive event experience as a PTO-1

Approximately 25% of Canadian Technical Officials are certified as PTO-2.  With this broader knowledge, certified PTO-2 are qualified for the following positions at an age-group event:

• Technical Delegate
• Head Official

With its focus on event standards and event management, it is highly recommended that provincial Race Directors also audit the PTO-2 course. Many of our Technical Officials use their knowledge to both officiate and organize provincial triathlon events.

The experiential prerequisites will be waived for Race Directors, but they will not receive an official certification level for auditing the course. 

The National Technical Official (NTO, also known as ITU-1) certification is the first step towards officiating at Elite competitions.  Approximately 15% of Canadian Technical Officials hold the NTO designation. 

NTOs are active at all levels of provincial triathlon events, bringing their international technical experience and training to provincial technical committees, sanctioning committees, and as mentors and race directors.  This certification is offered by Triathlon Canada and is open to experienced PTO-2 officials. 

The NTO course builds on the event management skills learned at the PTO-2 level with an emphasis on Elite racing.  NTOs are qualified to fill the following roles:

• Sector Chief at Continental Elite events
• Sector Assistant at World Cup / World Triathlon Series Elite events

NTOs are eligible for the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Self-funded Technical Officials (SFTO) program.  This program provides opportunities for those with NTO or higher certification to attend international events outside of Canada to gain more experience (at their own expense). 

NTOs are also eligible for some Major Games assignments such as the Pan American Games.  Domestically, NTOs are eligible for section as a Major Technical Official (MTO) at the Canada Summer Games.

The Continental Technical Official (CTO, also known as ITU-2) certification is run and managed by the International Triathlon Union (ITU).  CTOs represent approximately 7% of Canadian Technical Officials.

The CTO course continues to build on the event management competencies learned at the NTO level, with an emphasis on leading a team of officials as a Technical Delegate at a Continental Cup-level event.  CTOs are qualified to fill the following roles:

• Technical Delegate at Continental events
• Assistant Technical Delegate at World Cup events
• Sector Chief at World Triathlon Series events

CTOs are also eligible for nomination to the Olympic / Paralympic Games

The International Technical Official (ITO) certification is the highest level of technical official within the sport of triathlon.   The ITO level is also know as ITU-3, and is run and managed by the International Triathlon Union (ITU). Experienced CTOs may be invited by the ITU to challenge the ITO level. 

Only about 1% of Triathlon Canada’s technical officials hold this designation.  Despite this, Canada has one of the largest groups of ITO-certified officials when compared to programs of a similar size internationally. 

The ITU is restructuring the ITO program into two levels: ITO-3A and ITO-3B.  Those with an ITO-3B certification are qualified to be assigned as a Technical Delegate at the highest-profile events in the world, including the Olympic/Paralympic Games and the World Triathlon Series.

Click here for more information on ITO certification.

All currently certified Triathlon Canada officials will have their qualifications recognized in the new Technical Officials Portal. In order to meet Triathlon Canada’s Safe Sport Policy requirements, there are a couple of things that need to be completed before heading out for the season.  These are:

• An Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC), and
• The Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders course

If these elements have already been completed, credit will be given.  Both requirements can be completed from within the Portal.

If you are a technical official in another country and wish to change your representation to Canada, contact us at .

Technical Officials at all levels are required to maintain a level of activity to maintain their certification.  Competition Rules and best practices change regularly.  Triathlon Canada uses a point system to track experience, and a points minimum must be maintained.  For more information on the points system, click here.

In order to help technical officials maintain their points minimum, Triathlon Canada is working to develop professional development modules that will be delivered online through the Technical Officials Portal.  This training will be tracked as part of your personal transcript.

The Portal will also track your Safe Sport requirements.  Renewals are required on the schedule below – the Portal will notify you when you have a renewal requirement coming up.

• Enhanced Police Information Check | Renewed every 2 years
• Respect for Activity Leaders | Renewed every 4 years

A points system is used to quantify an official’s experience.  This is done as follows:

• Individual positions are allocated a point score
• Events are allocated a multiplier based on complexity

Those events and positions requiring higher levels of responsibility are scored higher.  The points total awarded to the official after the event is determined simply by multiplying the position score by the event score.

Points are totaled annually, and are used to assess level of activity over the course of the year.  This this then applied to both the maintenance of certification criteria and as an integral part of Major Games selection.

For details on the current Points System, see the latest Guide for Officials.

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is a working group with representatives from the provincial sporting organization (PSO) that is chaired by Triathlon Canada’s Events and Technical Officials Coordinator. The group provides expert advice on technical matters such as Technical Officials development, selection policies and competition rules.

The current TAG members are as follows:

Andrew Dacanay  | Triathlon Canada (Chair)
Andrew Armstrong  | Triathlon BC
Mike Chui  | Triathlon Alberta
Mike Mahoney  | Triathlon Ontario
Eric Noel  | Triathlon Quebec
Janice Turner  | Triathlon Newfoundland & Labrador
Christine McKinnon  | Triathlon New Brunswick
Jackie Crowell  | Triathlon Nova Scotia
Cheryl Tanton  | Triathlon Prince Edward Island

Coming Soon!