It's An Honor To Know You, Tomás

Tomás Haces of Cuba is the chairman of the Unión Americana de Natación (UANA) Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and a member of the influential FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee.

Tomás is also among the candidates for the 2009 International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Contributor for his work in the world of swimming. He has a truly impressive resume that never seems to take him too far away from the water.

The formal International Swimming Hall of Fame candidacy of Tomás Haces, whose full name is Teodolo Tomás Haces Germán, is as follows:

FINA-appointed clinician of swimming, officiating and open water swimming throughout the Caribbean and Central America; physical education professor with specialty in swimming; Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation (CCCAN or la Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Natación) Technical Swimming Committee president; UANA Open Water Swimming Committee chairman; FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member.

At age 57, Teodolo Haces has helped Cuba and the Central Caribbean Nations have a better understanding of competitive swimming, particularly open water swimming. He has been appointed by FINA to deliver officiating, rules refereeing and open water swimming clinics over 15 times from 1996 to present in Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and El Salvador. He has delivered national rules and refereeing courses in Cuba eight times from 1986 to 2002, in all geographical parts of the country. All totaled, he has delivered over 36 seminars from 1996 to 2007.

A 1968 graduate as Professor of Physical Education, Teodolo, over the years, has conducted post graduate college courses in all aspects of swimming officiating, knowing the rules, and understanding open water swimming. He founded the Pinar del Rio Technical-Meteorological Section of Physical Culture and Sports. In 1979, he was appointed director of the National Sports Section of the province to include all aquatic disciplines as well as rowing, sailing, kayaking, and under water hunting. Three years later, he was also named Director of the Marcelo Salado National Training Center.

He was selected as the referee for the 1991 Pan American Games and co-referee of the 1995 Pan American Games. He has been a judge at CCCAN Tournaments, Central American and Caribbean Games, five Pan American Games, seven World Championships and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He is President of CCCAN Technical Swimming Committee and the UANA Open Water Committee. He is a member of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and is a FINA judge for open water and swimming pool events.

Thank you very much for your dedication to the sport and your support of events and athletes around the world.