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World Triathlon, the international governing body for triathlon, faces systematic corruption claims after an executive board member was accused of attempting to influence the results of last year’s presidential elections.
Uruguayan Liber Garcia, the head of the triathlon confederation for the Americas (which includes countries in North, South, and Central America), was formally warned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on June 25 for trying to coerce Australia’s Michelle Cooper to abort her bid for presidency of World Triathlon.
Cooper, a World Triathlon board member for four years up until 2024, filed a formal complaint to the World Triathlon Tribunal, which returned a one-year ban for Garcia – including a six-month reduction if he attended a certified ethics course – before it was reduced to a warning on appeal. Garcia refutes any wrongdoing and argues CAS only issued any reprimand at all due to the ambiguity and lack of clarity in World Triathlon’s election regulations.
But while Garcia was the sole individual held accountable, the warning raises broader potential questions over last October’s election, where Spain’s Antonio Arimany was elected as successor to countrywoman Marisol Casado, and the integrity of the newly formed World Triathlon administration.
World Triathlon election scandal: Why was Liber Garcia reprimanded?
CAS ruled on a WhatsApp exchange between Cooper and Garcia ahead of the 2024 elections, where Cooper argues that Garcia attempted to persuade her to forgo her own bid for the presidency in return for a guaranteed place on the executive board. The ruling found García’s messages to Cooper, in which he described the forming of an alliance to secure his preferred candidates’ election, “offered improper benefits in exchange for her withdrawal from the presidential race” and “demonstrated a clear violation” of responsibilities to “uphold the integrity of [triathlon] as outlined in various ethical and conduct policies.”
Garcia’s messages, used as evidence before the CAS, included this exchange: ‘’In Vichy, you would have to announce that you are withdrawing and, like Africa, Asia and America, be the fourth continent to support our candidate who is from Europe!’ and ‘Then the die is cast… and believe me, we are the winning group.’”
Cooper refused Garcia’s terms. Shortly after, fellow presidential candidates Shin Otsuka of Japan and Antonio Alvarez of Mexico flew into Vichy, France (where a staging meeting for the 2024 elections was held) simply to withdraw from the presidential race, throw their weight behind Arimany, and be considered for vice president positions. The two were later reprimanded for breaching election rules.
A letter from Cooper, Britain’s Ian Howard, and Hungary’s Tamas Toth, to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach further complained that “extreme steps [were] being taken to determine the election outcome, coordinated, it would seem, by the secretary general himself.” Ahead of October’s elections, Cooper lodged her case to the tribunal over Garcia’s approaches. A hearing panel determined there was not enough evidence at the time to postpone the election, and on October 21 Arimany was voted in as president with 90 votes, with Otsuka and Alvarez elected as vice-presidents.
In March 2025, the World Triathlon Tribunal issued a decision finding Garcia in breach of the World Triathlon code of ethics, saying “Mr. García’s WhatsApp messages to Ms. Cooper, in which he described the forming of an alliance to secure his preferred candidates’ election and offered improper benefits in exchange for her withdrawal from the presidential race, demonstrated a clear violation of these responsibilities. His actions, therefore, including the pressure placed on Ms. Cooper, amounted to manipulating the election process and damaging the reputation of [triathlon].”
Garcia appealed the decision, calling Cooper’s claim “vengeful and vexatious.” At a hearing on May 13, Garcia argued “political alliances are common and are a part of the electoral process” and that “it is true that Mr. Álvarez and Mr. Otsuka withdrew their candidacy [for president] and were thereafter elected as [vice-presidents]. However, no link can be established between the two facts.”
CAS upheld the World Triathlon Tribunal’s view that this represented a breach of its own rules, which state staff and officials will never take part in, contribute to, or tolerate corruption.
“Mr. Liber Garcia is in breach of the World Triathlon Code of Ethics, in particular, Articles B5, B6 and B7; Article 2.a. of the World Triathlon Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy, and accordingly, the World Triathlon Constitution,” the ruling stated, adding that “the evidence, particularly the Appellant’s own WhatsApp messages, supports this conclusion and meets the ‘comfortable satisfaction’ standard of proof. Even under the higher standard of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ the evidence would remain compelling.”
The whistleblower speaks
Cooper has since put out a statement, titled “Why Sport Must Choose Integrity Over Intimidation.” In it, she posed a series of questions, including why Garcia has been retained in his position, how leaders are held accountable, and whether World Triathlon needs reform.
Speaking to Triathlete, Cooper believes the elections should be re-run. “The process was found to be corrupted,” she says. “In almost every case, all those elected were the pre-ordained candidates of the voting bloc Mr. Garcia represented. When the rules are violated and candidates benefit from unethical conduct, the democratic outcome is tainted. Athletes and federations deserve to know that the leadership of our sport was elected fairly. That confidence can only be restored by a clean, independent election process.”
Cooper believes that it shouldn’t just be Garcia who should face scrutiny, but complicit members of the administration, including Arimany himself.
“This is no longer just about one individual,” she continued. “It’s about a system that allowed misconduct to occur—and then failed to respond when it was exposed. Anyone who knew, enabled, or ignored this behavior should reflect on their position.
“This is no longer just about one individual. It’s about a system that allowed misconduct to occur—and then failed to respond when it was exposed."
“Resignation is one form of accountability, but so is transparency. The entire board should face an independent review to determine who upheld their duties and who did not. The president should lead that call and be subject to the same review, or step aside.”
Cooper says she has received “quiet solidarity” from many individuals within and beyond the organization, but warns that “when voices stay silent, it sends a message that this behaviour is acceptable.”
While other complaints to the tribunal were not upheld, Cooper said she believes there is still “substantial evidence” available that could be presented and would show a broader pattern of coercion and interference, but that individuals would have to be brave enough to step forward.
“The fact that multiple candidates raised concerns should have triggered alarm bells long before now,” she says. “It is easy to suggest that the candidates were simply trying to win and therefore lodging a complaint was a way to pursue an end goal, but rarely do you see competitors agree on the same serious matters. That should tell you something.”
Cooper remains “deeply concerned” that Garcia remains in his post and has not even received a temporary suspension at the world, continental, or national level. According to Article 50 of the Procedural Rules, sanctions to be imposed for a violation of this nature can range from a warning and fines to a contract termination between the sport and participant. The CAS ruling says the warning “is proportionate to the offense and necessary to maintain integrity in the organization.” Cooper disagrees:
“If he has violated World Triathlon’s own ethics code and corruption policy, why is he still on its executive board? That’s a question for the president and the board, and for Mr. Garcia himself. In any other governance environment — corporate, public, or non-profit — this would not be tolerated. Anyone found to have committed a corruption offense would step down or be removed immediately.”
Cooper says she feels this lack of action “reflects either a lack of resolve or an unwillingness to act. It is damaging to our sport and the triathlon brand to have someone with those findings still associated with the highest positions.”
Liber Garcia responds
Garcia fully refutes Cooper’s position, telling Triathlete: “The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has decided to overturn the sanction imposed by the World Triathlon Tribunal, reducing it to a warning. This warning is based on the ambiguity and lack of clarity in the election regulations. Importantly, the CAS ruling entirely dismisses any allegations of corruption or election manipulation, which fully justifies the significant reduction of the original one-year suspension to a simple warning. CAS has reviewed the case, including the Ethical Rules of World Triathlon, as it is mentioned in the award.”
Garcia also expressed that he was not a candidate for any elective position in October, and sees no reason to resign from the executive board of World Triathlon, a position he holds due to serving as president of the continental confederation after a unanimous election in 2023.
Garcia added: “I truly regret that Michelle Cooper, who has clearly not come to terms with a decisive and legitimate electoral defeat, continues to attempt to discredit World Triathlon, its duly elected leadership, and—most concerningly—the national federations that freely exercised their right to vote at the congress in Torremolinos in October 2024.”
World Triathlon responds
In an email sent on July 23 and obtained by Triathlete, World Triathlon issued the following statement from its executive board to members: “We have observed the misleading campaign being launched in the media against World Triathlon, and we inform you that the news appearing in the press is false.
“Each and every one of you, our member national federations, exercised your right to vote freely and democratically in October 2024.
An executive board member who was not a candidate in those elections was issued a warning by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for breaching [the rules]. CAS notes that, in some cases, the rules conflicted and were unclear. Following an appeal of the World Triathlon Tribunal’s decision, CAS reduced a one-year sanction to a warning.
“All other complaints submitted were dismissed, with no pending complaints linked to the elections. We are committed to revising the rules to ensure that they are clear and do not conflict with each other. This work will begin after the 2025 Congress. Neither the tribunal nor CAS stated that the elections were unlawful, nor that any other person of World Triathlon was implicated in any wrongdoing. The integrity of the election is not in question.”
READ WORLD TRIATHLON’S STATEMENT
A number of administrators were approached for comment. Britain’s Howard, a 2024 presidential candidate who gave a stern speech ahead of the election campaign promising reform, tells Triathlete: “We really hope the board of World Triathlon will take this seriously and look to change the election rules and other relevant policies.”
World Triathlon election scandal: What’s next
Triathlon is not the first Olympic sport to have faced governance issues. Other sporting federations have faced similar events in recent years, with a variety of outcomes and consequences that make it hard to predict what, if anything, will happen next.
The International Boxing Association (formerly Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur, or AIBA) was officially stripped of its recognition by the IOC in June 2023 due to chronic issues, including financial mismanagement, ethical violations, and integrity failures. The IOC took over boxing governance directly through a task force for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Last December, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, long-time president of the European Fencing Confederation and former head of the Russian Olympic Committee, was removed by a unanimous no-confidence vote due to his conduct following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2008, long‑time International Volleyball Federation president Rubén Acosta resigned after reports emerged that he and his wife allegedly took a 10% cut on all commercial contracts without oversight. Critics claim the federation enforced gag rules to silence dissent and operated like a personal monarchy, resulting in major concerns over governance and transparency.
After the 2012 London Olympics, wrestling was nearly dropped from the Olympic program due to poor governance, unclear rules, and low viewer engagement. It triggered a global campaign to save the sport. President Raphaël Martinetti resigned, and under new leadership, the sport reformed its rules, improved transparency, and expanded women’s participation. Wrestling was reinstated later that year. Observers felt that this crisis became a landmark example of how rapid governance reform can rescue a traditional Olympic sport from exclusion.
But what of triathlon’s current conflict? Cooper says there are no processes in place to stop a repeat of what took place at World Triathlon, and the only reason this particular case ran was because she said she was willing to bear “significant cost [where] most people don’t have that luxury or resilience.”
The lack of protection for whistleblowers is another area of concern, Cooper says: “I have experienced intimidation, professional threats, and social exclusion. I have no doubt that it isn’t over yet either. Until World Triathlon – and all sports – commit to safe, confidential, and respected whistleblowing pathways, integrity will always be at risk.”