It’s a pain in the ass for many – mainly Dutch – triathletes; Ironman has no intention of refunding even one cent for athletes who were registered for Ironman 70.3 Maastricht. Last week it turned out that this race will not take place, because Ironman has revoked the license of organizer Extra Leisure. Ironman offers entry tickets for some other European races, but for a refund, athletes must contact Extra Leisure.
Ironman writes that by email to athletes who have requested a refund. Among other things, athletes can convert their entry tickets to participate in Ironman Duisburg or the Ironman in Westfriesland, but a refund of the entry fee is thus not possible. “As you probably know,” the mailing reads, “Ironman Maastricht would be organized by our former licensee Extra Leisure. To best support athletes, we offer registered athletes the opportunity to choose an entry ticket for other events within Europe. Refund requests can be directed to Extra Leisure by emailing info@extraleisure.nl”
Extra Leisure, a Dutch company who was responsible for both Ironman Maastricht and Ironman Westfriesland, lost its license for both races. Westfriesland is still being organized for 2023, but there seems a good chance that this race race will disappear next year as well. It is unclear whether Extra Leisure can meet its payment obligations; more and more athletes are coming forward, as well as suppliers who have not received a response and in some cases are still owed money.
Extra Leisure cannot, or better to say should not respond from Ironman, according to Extra Leisure owner Rob Frambach.
One week before the Ironman Maastricht news came in, Challenge Family already received criticism when it was revealed that Challenge Montpellier was cancelled. The registered athletes there were also able to convert their entry tickets to some other races, or receive a 65 percent refund of their entry fee.
