There will be no IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in Berlin. As the 3-loop bike course through the district of Reinickendorf in the northern part of the city was not approved by the local authorities due to traffic concerns, the IRONMAN 70.3 Berlin ha to be cancelled. It was supposed to take place on July 13 this year.
The city of Berlin has rejected a number of bike courses presented by the organizer. Despite several concessions on the side of SCC EEVENTS the city did not grant the required permissions.
“We are very disappointed that it is not possible to host such a high-quality sporting event like this one in the capital,” states Thomas Steffens, spokesman for the organiser, SCC EVENTS. “We had hoped – even if it not in the city centre – that it would be possible to organise a triathlon of great international importance in a section of the city that is otherwise not overloaded with such sporting events. On the other hand, we also must realize that a triathlon cannot be compared with running events, in which much greater numbers of participants are involved. As the organiser of major international running events, we have to accept that it is not possible to put on a high calibre and internationally oriented triathlon in Berlin.”
Until recently, the prospects for finding a suitable location were looking very positive: the ideal triathlon area was found in the district of Reinickendorf with the support of a sports enthusiastic mayor. In the end, though, the regulatory authorities decided not to grant a permit for the bike course due to reasons of traffic logistics. Thus, the IRONMAN 70.3 Berlin unfortunately had to be cancelled.