World Triathlon Corporation World Triathlon Corporation The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a business corporation, owned by Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group, that produces the Ironman Triathlon, Ironman 70.3, the 5150 series of triathlon races, and other sports events. WTC owns "Ironman"−related trademarks. In 1990, Dr. James P. Gills, with the help of Lew Friedland, acquired and purchased the Hawaii Triathlon Corporation, owner of the Ironman Brand, for $3 million from Valerie Silk. With the Ironman brand, Gills established the World Triathlon Corporation with the intention of furthering the sport of triathlon and increasing prize money for triathletes. Ben Fertic, formerly Vice President of
Triathlon equipment Triathlon, USAT and ITU do not specifically disallow snorkels. British Triathlon does not list snorkels as part of the accepted equipment, thus they are disallowed. For safety reasons in open-water events, some federations permit special inflatable flotation devices; though activating the device will usually disqualify the swimmer, it can be used to float if the swimmer experiences difficulty. Because most triathlon swim stages are conducted in open waters (lakes, rivers, or oceans) which are often cold, many early races allowed wetsuits. However, typical wetsuits manufactured for snorkeling or water skiing are not optimal for triathlon, because the sleeves generally restrict