Iron X: Surf Life Saving Australia have labelled Iron X a success as they prepare to make plans for the concept’s future
Surf Life Saving CEO Adam Weir has labelled Iron X a resounding success, following initial feedback, as the organisation prepares to review the exhibition event and make plans for the future.
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SURF Life Saving CEO Adam Weir has labelled Iron X a resounding success, following initial feedback, as the organisation prepares to review the exhibition event and make plans for the future.
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The controversial event which saw stand-up paddleboarding and Cross-Fit exercises combined with traditional surf life saving disciplines was held at Mooloolaba beach on Monday amid fierce criticism from the sporting community, many of whom opted not to compete in the event.
Weir said that early signs pointed towards Iron X being a big success though Surf Life Saving Australia would take the time to review the concept before deciding on its place in the surf sports calendar.
“People turned out to watch that event in a way I haven’t seen in a long time (in surf life saving),” he said
“Talking to our event sponsors whether it’s Nutri-Grain, the Sunshine Coast council or our other partners, they were receiving positive feedback which they were passing onto us.
“Not everyone agrees with the strategy we’ve put in place but a big part of this is engaging with a new audience.
“I’ve already had some athletes come up to me begging me to put it on again next year.
“It’s early days and there’s obviously been a lot of opinions expressed and it’s brought out a lot of emotions in people.
“Mid 2019, we said we would run Iron X as a trial event which is exactly what we did then look at how it performed but the initial assessment is overwhelmingly positive.”
Despite continued speculation, Weir also put to bed fears that the Iron X racing format would replace traditional iron racing at the State and Aussie titles as well as the Nutri-Grain series.
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Weir also refuted allegations that certain athletes were paid to race in Iron X and that the cost of the event outweighed the amount spent on the entire, five-round Nutri-Grain series.
“We didn’t pay anyone to compete in Iron X,” he said.
“The prize money was the incentive to get people to try something new.
“Iron X was a fraction of the cost of actual series.”
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Weir wouldn’t comment when asked about SLSA’s response to calls from athletes such as Matt Poole for the Nutri-Grain series to be run by an independent organisation.
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