Sinckler ready for officiating challenge

Barbadian Adrian Sinckler is looking forward to yet another chapter of his officiating career when he travels to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham late July.

A top-ranked level two World Triathlon Technical official, Sinckler said he is happy and proud to be given such a great opportunity to travel and officiate in triathlon which is a discipline that comprises swimming, cycling and running.

“I am very proud to be representing Barbados on the international stage. We are small but we have what it takes to get out there and do these things. I kind of stumbled into it because I always put my hand up that I will go for the training and it kind of led me to this,” Sinckler explained.

As the sole level two technical official in Barbados, Sinckler has an extensive travel resume of officiating at major events. From Tokyo in the East to Costa Rica in the South, he one day hopes to see other Barbadians join him as a level two technical official. According to Sinckler, currently there are eight level one technical officials in the country.

A registered engineer, Sinckler first gained his level one qualification in January 2013 and completed level two in 2015. He is looking forward to acquiring his level three which is the highest level required by the World Triathlon which was previously known as the International Triathlon Union.

As a longstanding member of the Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) founded in 1990, Sinckler has served in many capacities including vice-president before moving to Dubai for work a few years ago.

During an interview with Barbados TODAY at Miami Beach, Sinckler explained that a lot goes into being a technical official such as ensuring that the races are executed smoothly and checking for certain specifications. He also noted that the main technical official responsible for the race is called a technical delegate who is responsible for all the technical officials.

“You would have a chief swim, a chief bike, a chief run that are responsible for making sure that the courses are the correct length, making sure that when the race is going that everything is done fairly and safely. So, it is about safety in the water, having lifeguards, boats, how it is being filmed; various things like that to make sure it all goes smoothly.

“The bike technical official is responsible for the bike course and what happens on the bike course. There are certain rules that the athletes are not to break to ensure that it is safe and fair for everybody and the same thing on the run. Apart from those three disciplines there is a lot that goes into it; there is registration, transitions where they change from one to the next, there is the finish line, and there is the mixed zone which is after they are finished which goes into things like anti-doping,” Sinckler said.

He added: “So, it is very broad, there is a penalty station and before a triathlon event takes place there are checks that have to be done months in advance in terms of water quality, temperature, tide, there is a lot that goes into staging a triathlon event.”

In 2021 Sinckler officiated at three major events, the World Triathlon Championship Series and World Triathlon Para Championships in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates as well as Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Added to that, in the past Sinckler has also officiated at the Central American and Caribbean Games, several continental cups and World Cups. In 2014 and 2018 he did the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Gold Coast in Australia respectively.

While triathlon might be seen as an expensive sport especially when it comes to cycling, Sinckler praised BFIT and president Darren Treasurer for the work they have been doing behind the scenes.

“The local federation in Barbados has been doing a lot of fantastic work. We have had one Olympian so far in Jason Wilson, he went to the Olympics. He competed in Rio but unfortunately got in an accident, not his fault and he was not able to finish. So, there was Jason Wilson and now Matthew Wright is our next triathlete gunning for the Olympics.

“But there are a lot of younger triathletes and older ones too that would not necessarily be going to the Olympics like Oein Josiah who is our national champion, he is superb. And in addition to the technical officials, we have a number of people who would have done coaching courses including our president Darren Treasure, the same Oein, Philip Gaskin and others. So, we are growing our influence and it is in all aspects, so it is exciting for Barbados and triathlon,” Sinckler said.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb