Get the WTC out of Hawaii

Beginning in 2005, the World Triathlon Corporation launched five different copyright infringement cases against organizations for alleged illegal use of the term 'Ironman' of which they claimed to own the exclusive copyright. In 2007 they launched a single suit against Kai Elua, a non-profit outrigger canoe club in San Diego, another non-profit named the Southern California Outrigger Racing Association as well as four individual private citizens who had at one point been officers of either of the two non-profits.

Fact #1: While the first Ironman Triathlon competition was staged in 1977, there is solid evidence that outrigger canoe clubs have used the term 'Ironman' to refer to a particular part of their season as far back as the 1950s.

Fact #2: Outrigger canoe club racing is a Polynesian-based sport that teaches cooperation, team spirit and the general pursuit of personal and group-based betterment.

Fact #3: The World Triathlon Corporation is a FOR-profit company that stages The Ironman Triathlon World Championships each year in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and since it's a privately-owned company it's revenues are not available for public review. However, considering the amount of money that changes hands each October throughout Kailua-Kona, it's fair to say that this is a very lucrative endeavor for the WTC.

The fact that a large, profitable company used lawyers, bully tactics and a much deeper pocket-book to try to crush two smaller non-profits is bad enough, but what makes it worse is that their case had no actual legal basis since outrigger canoe clubs had been using the term 'Ironman' decades before there were even such a thing as an Ironman Triathlon. What makes this even worse however is that the WTC profits GREATLY from the use of Hawaiian land and hospitality while at the same time acting as the antithesis of Hawaiian ideals by LITERALLY attacking a Hawaiian sport.

The concern that the loss of the Ironman event each year could end up costing the State of Hawaii a substantial sum of money is a valid one, but there are alternatives to the WTC, such as the International Triathlon Union, so no money need be lost.

The World Triathlon Corporation has chosen to pursue profit at the expense of Hawaiian athletics, Hawaiian ideals and even at the expense of Hawaiians themselves. Deny their licenses, permits and charters and by doing so, deny their ability to further benefit from the use of our lands and hospitality while at the same time damaging our dignity as a people and attacking our way of life.

We thank you in advance for protecting the honor of Hawaii and of the Hawaiian people.