Youghal

The family say there has been a “serious lack of accountability” for Cork County Council, Ironman and Triathlon Ireland.

THE FAMILY OF one of two men who died during the swim section of an Ironman event in Youghal, Co Cork in 2023 have warned that two deaths of participants in the space of just 10 minutes “is no accident”.

Ivan Chittenden (64) from Brantford near Toronto and Brendan Wall (45) from Cardrath, Co Meath were pronounced dead on the morning of 20 August 2023.

The inquest into the death of Wall resumed today in Youghal having previously opened in February of this year.

Although the men died in separate incidents, they were both competing in the 70.3 half Ironman section of the Youghal race. Sections of the Ironman event had been delayed in the wake of Storm Betty arising out of poor conditions.

At that time Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster indicated that both men died of acute respiratory failure due to drowning. Verdicts of accidental death have now been recorded about both men.

Brendan Wall's brother Martin (centre) said the family is "deeply disappointed" by the verdict. Conor O'Carroll Conor O'Carroll

Martin Wall, Brendan’s brother, said the family are “deeply disappointed” by the verdict.

“We believe there has been a serious lack of accountability for Cork County Council, Ironman and Triathlon Ireland,” he said.

“We are especially distressed that members of these organisations were not compelled to attend the inquest to give evidence, denying our legal team the opportunity to seek the answers our family deserves.”

He said they not only wanted the inquest to explain how Brendan lost his life, but to spur change that could prevent a tragedy like this happening again.

“Sadly, we feel that opportunity had been missed,” he said.

No “meaningful” recommendations were made regarding future oversight or safety measures for such sporting events.

The Journal / YouTube

With additional reporting by Conor O’Carroll