According to a report by FR-online, the online edition of the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper of May 3, the new private owner of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), the New York based private equity firm Providence, has acquired the agency Xdream Sports & Events GmbH from Kurt Denk. According to this report, the organizer of the Ironman Frankfurt triathlon and his staff are going to act as the "official European representatives of the World Corporation" and are going to take part in the decision on which long-distance races in Germany should be held under the Ironman label. In the report it further says that the intention is to install a second race in Germany in 2010, "which might as well be in Roth".  

Contrary to the report, Roth did not "lose its Ironman status to Frankfurt in 2002", but voluntarily declined any further co-operation under the Ironman label in 2001 due to unacceptable demands by Lew Friedland, who was the President of the WTC at that time. Since 2002 Roth has been the location of the world's biggest long-distance triathlon event under the "Challenge" trademark. Meanwhile TEAMChallenge GmbH based in Roth does not only organize the legendary "Quelle Challenge Roth", but also a world-wide Challenge series which this year includes as many as six licensed Challenge competitions (long- and half-distance races) in New Zealand, France, Spain and Germany. Agreements with further licensees in several other European countries regarding events in 2010 and the following years have already been or are about to be concluded.

For this reason, a takeover of the "Quelle Challenge Roth" flagship event or of one of its licensed events - by whomever - is absolutely out of the question for the successful company of TEAMChallenge. Challenge organizer Felix Walchshöfer is quite determined: "We will definitely not agree to this idea. For me this would mean to betray our own event, our athletes and volunteers". Walchshöfer says the Challenge series has a different structure, in which the family atmosphere and the feeling of togetherness are most important. Walchshöfer is very concerned about the reasons why the private equity firm acquired Denk's agency. "I am afraid this could be a case of ruthless investors who are not at all interested in triathlon. Basically in those risky hedge funds it does not matter whether it is a supplier of the car industry or for example a triathlon event".  

The Challenge organizer can understand that the WTC is not amused about the world-wide competing events under the Challenge label, or "perhaps even is afraid of us". "We continue to grow and are successful. We do not need the Ironman label at all". Walchshöfer assumes that the latest development might not be a good basis for the future of Ironman and the WTC. "But TEAMChallenge definitely wants to stay independent and take its own decisions."