Working Behind The Scenes - Tomás Haces

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

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

Tomás, whose formal name is Teodolo Tomás Haces Germán, was also one of the candidates for the 2009 International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Contributor for his long-term and dedicated work throughout the world of swimming, both in the pool and open water. Tomás has a truly impressive resume that never seems to take him too far away from the water:

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 FINA 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 Tomás for your dedication to the sport and your support of events and athletes around the world.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

FINA Salutes Poliana Okimoto And Thomas Lurz

The November issue of FINA Aquatics World Magazine saluted Poliana Okimoto of Brazil and Thomas Lurz of Germany as the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup championships on its front cover.

Besides the cover story, pages of detailed open water swimming coverage follow inside.

We noticed a small tattoo on the inside arm of Thomas who explained, "I have the date from my father's birthday on my left arm. I got it after his death. The tattoo [on the other arm] we did 12 years ago on our swim team for the German team championships and it means 'Together we can do it' or 'We are strong together'. For example, my brother has the same tattoo on the same place because he also was on the team at this time as a swimmer. Now he is my coach, so it still fits good together. We were a good young team then."

The brotherly team really showed they could do it together again in 2009.

Photo by Ezra Shaw of Getty Images shows Thomas competing at the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

The FINA Congress

FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) is the international governing body of swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming and open water swimming, recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competition in the five aquatic sports.

Every four years, the FINA Congress meets to discuss and decide upon legislation, rules, regulations and the operations of the five sports. Many rules are procedural, but some can literally change the dynamics and business of the sport. For example, while the hottest issue in swimming is technical swimsuits, there are important issues in open water such as the minimum temperature to be able to hold a FINA event, the use of wetsuits, use of timing systems and uniform methods of referring during races.

These meetings were held in Rome prior to this year's world championships (see photo above) where the delegates from over 200 countries sat and voted on a variety of measures.

152 Open Water Swimmers To Compete In Rome

FINA has confirmed the participation of 152 athletes from 40 countries in the open water races at the Rome World Swimming Championships starting on July 19th. 41 men and 42 women are entered in the 5K. 47 men and 43 women are entered in the 10K. 23 men and 17 women are entered in the 25K.

However, 5 countries with a total of 10 men and 1 women have yet to confirm the participation of their open water swimmers, which may boost the final figure upwards a bit.

According to FINA, 2,556 athletes from 185 countries will compete at the Foro Italico venue (pool for swimming, diving, water polo and synchronised swimming) and Ostia Beach (site for open water swimming).

To date, the number of qualified athletes for the World Swimming Championships include:

• 1,470 swimmers from 164 countries
• 200 divers from 43 countries
• 416 water polo players from 21 countries
• 269 synchronized swimmers from 41 countries
• 152 open water swimmers from 40 countries

Photo of the 2008 men's world 10K championship start in Seville, Spain by Javier Blazques.

It's A Small World...Getting Bigger

182 national federations and 2,848 athletes will participate in the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships. At the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, there were 167 countries and 2,158 athletes. The final numbers in Rome could increase in the weeks to come as final entries are soon due.

In 1973, at the first FINA championships in Belgrade, there were 47 countries in attendance.

The global growth in aquatic sports can be seen below in the number of countries that have sent their best athletes to FINA world championships:



1973 - Belgrade, Yugoslavia - 47
1975 - Cali, Colombia - 39
1978 - Berlin, Germany - 49
1982 - Guayaquil, Ecuador - 52
1986 - Madrid, Spain - 34
1991 - Perth, Australia - 60
1994 - Rome, Italy - 102
1998 - Perth, Australia - 121
2001 - Fukuoka, Japan - 134
2003 - Barcelona, Spain - 157
2005 - Montreal, Canada - 144
2007 - Melbourne, Australia - 167
2009 - Roma, Iitaly - 182

The open water swimming competition schedule for Rome is posted here.

Talking about more people, the two photos above show the open water swimming venue on a weekday and on a weekend when more people flock to Ostia Beach in Rome, site of the 5K, 10K and 25K races.

blueseventy's Response to FINA's Decision

When FINA released its list of approved suits for the World Championships in July, it did not approve 10 high-tech racing suits including blueseventy's 11 models in accordance with FINA's Dubai Charter.

None of blueseventy's suits, including tights and jammers, were listed on FINA’s site as approved models, including models that were previously and legally used in FINA competitions.

Admittedly, blueseventy is stunned by this omission. blueseventy's Global Marketing Manager, Dean Jackson said, "We were very comfortable with the criteria for testing that FINA had outlined, our suits passed well under the threshold for buoyancy and thickness proposed by them. We have had confirmation that our suits passed the independent laboratory testing for both of these tests."

Officially, blueseventy's products were classified as suits that "may cause significant air trapping when worn by the swimmers." In response, blueseventy has 30 days to make modifications to its suits so that they no longer trap air.

"We are dedicated to working on the best solution to the short-term situation and will work closely with FINA on this process," said Roque Santos, blueseventy's Vice President of Swimming. Steve Nichols, CEO of blueseventy, gave an interview to Floswimming to explain further. Click here to listen to the interview.

FINA Swimsuit Approval Announced

FINA announced the results of its latest testing under the new Dubai Charter.

The list of approved swimsuits valid until December 31, 2009 is on the FINA website.

After reviewing 348 swimsuits from 21 manufacturers, FINA decided the following:

- 202 swimsuits approved
- 10 rejected for buoyancy and/or thickness
- 136 swimsuits to be modified in accordance with Dubai Charter rule 3.1 c) for not fulfilling the requirement that 'swimsuit material shall not be constructed to or include elements/systems which create air/water trapping effects during use'. These manufacturers have now until June 19th to resubmit the same swimsuit for FINA approval, with the corresponding corrections according to Dubai Charter rule 4.3 d.

Adidas
TechfitPowerweb B85779 full
TechfitPowerweb B85777SL full
TechfitPowerweb B85762 full - knee
TechfitPowerweb B85768 pants - long
TechfitPowerweb B85771 pants - short

Agon Sport
2009 full - knee
2009 pants - long
2009 pants - short

Akron SRL
Halifax Allison full
Halifax Buster full
Halifax Ark pants - long

Arena Italia
Powerskin 2512450 full
Powerskin 2512850 full
Powerskin 2512550 full
Powerskin 2710650 pants - long
Powerskin 2906850 classic
Powerskin 2710550 pants-short
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522850 full
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522750 full
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522650 full
Powerskin R-Evolution 2786650 full - knee
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522550 full - knee
Powerskin R-Evolution 2522450 full - knee
Powerskin R-Evolution 2786250 pants- long
Powerskin R-Evolution 2786550 pants-short
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525650 full
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525450 full
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525350 full
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525750 full - knee
Powerskin R-evolution + 2525550 full - knee
Powerskin R-evolution + 2790050 pants - long
Powerskin X-treme 2513850 full
Powerskin X-treme 2514350 full
Powerskin X-treme 2513950 full
Powerskin X-treme 2513750 full - knee
Powerskin X-treme 2514450 full - knee
Powerskin X-treme 2514250 full - knee
Powerskin X-treme 2731750 pants - long
Powerskin X-treme 2925450 classic
Powerskin X-treme 2737650 pants-short

Asics
TIL ALS503 full
TIL ALS505 full
TIL AMA503 pants - long
TIL AMA502 pants - short
TIL ALS502 pants - short
TIL ALS500 classic
TIL ALS504 classic
TIL AMA501 classic
TIL ALS501 classic
TIL - Cloth AMX964-4 full
TIL - Cloth ALX964-5 full
TIL - Cloth ALX964-6 full
TIL - Cloth AMX964-3 pants - long
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA515 full
TIL - Functional Layered System ALS515 full
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA516 pants - long
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA511 inner tights
TIL - Functional Layered System ALS511 inner tights
TIL - Functional Layered System AMA510 inner top
TIL - Functional Layered System ALS510 inner top
TIL + AMX1087 full
TIL + AMX1087-2 full
TIL + AMX1087 full
TIL + AMX1098 full
TIL + AMX1086 full
TIL + AMX1085 full
TIL + ALX1085-2 full
TIL + ALX1085 full
TIL + ALX1086 full
TIL + ALX1098 full
TIL + AMX1088 pants - long
TIL + AMX1088-2 pants - long
TIL + AMX1088 pants - long
TIL + AMX1083 classic
TIL + ALX1083 classic

Descente
III jan09 full
III jan09 full
III jan09 full
III jan09 full - knee
III jan09 pants - long
III jan09 pants - short
IV jan09 full
IV jan09 full
IV jan09 full
IV jan09 full - knee
IV jan09 pants - long
IV jan09 pants - short
I mar09 full
I mar09 pants - long
I mar09 full
I mar09 full
I mar09 classic
I mar09 full - knee
I mar09 classic
I mar09 pants - short
III mar09 full
III mar09 full
III mar09 full
III mar09 full - knee
III mar09 pants - long
III mar09 pants - short
III mar09 classic

Diana Sport
Submarine Shinning Arrow 232M SA full
Submarine Shinning Arrow 250W SA full
Submarine Shinning Arrow 251W SA full
Submarine Shinning Arrow 233M SA full - knee
Submarine Shinning Arrow 253W SA full - knee
Submarine Shinning Arrow 230M SA pants - long
Submarine Thermo Fusion 202M full
Submarine Thermo Fusion 210W full
Submarine Thermo Fusion 221W full
Submarine Thermo Fusion 203M full - knee
Submarine Thermo Fusion 213W full - knee
Submarine Thermo Fusion 200M pants - long
Submarine Thermo Fusion 201M pants - short
Submarine Thermo Fusion 219W classic

FINIS
Amphibian pants - long
Amphibian ATS8-LTM28 pants - long
Amphibian ATS8-JM28 pants - short
Amphibian Long John ATS8-LJM32 full
Amphibian Long John ATS8-LJF30 full
Amphibian Short John ATS8-SJM31 full - knee
Amphibian Short John ATS8-SJF30 full - knee
Hydrospeed 2 Brief 1.10.131.101.28 classic
Hydrospeed 2 Clipback 1.10.024.101.28 classic
Hydrospeed 2 Jammer 1.10.132.101.28 pants - short
Hydrospeed 2 Race John 1.10.025.101.28 full - knee

Jaked
SRL J03 full
J03 pants - long

Kiwami
Kameleon full - knee

Mizuno
Accel Suits full
Accel Suits pants - long
Swimsuit A 85RB-100 full
Swimsuit A 85RB-101 full
Swimsuit A 85OB-100 full
Swimsuit A 85OB-110
Swimsuit A 85OB-111 full
Swimsuit A 85RB-10009 full
Swimsuit A 85RD-100 pants - short
Swimsuit A 85RC-100 pants - long
Water gene 85RB-850 full
Water gene 85OB-850 full
Water gene 85OB-851 full
Water gene 85OC-850 full - knee
Water gene 85OD-850 pants - long
Water gene 85RC-850
Water gene 85RD-850

Orca
RS1 full - knee
RS1 full - knee

Rocket Science Sports
Rocket Light classic
Rocket Light
Rocket Sprinter
Rocket Sprinter
Rocket Trainer classic
Rocket Trainer
Swimskin Suit Sleveless full

Sailfish
Sailfish furious full - knee
Sailfish furious long full

Speedo
Flying Fish body no arms 8-05887 full
Flying Fish Body no arms 8-05889 full
Flying Fish Brief 8-05892 classic
Flying Fish Jammer 8-05891 pants - short
Flying Fish Legskin 8-05890 pants - long
Flying Fish recordbreaker bodyskin 8-05886 full
Flying Fish recordbreaker kneeskin 8-05885 full - knee
Flying Fish strikeback 8-05888 classic
LZR Racer Pro Body Skin No Arms full
LZR Racer Pro Body Skin No Arms full
LZR Racer Pro Jammer pants - short
LZR Racer Pro Leg Skin pants - long
LZR Racer Pro Record Breaker classic
LZR Racer Pro Record Breaker Body full
LZR Racer Pro Record Breaker Knee Skin full - knee
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 full
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 full
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 full - knee
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 pants - long
Japanese LZR Hybrid SPE015 pants-short
Fastskin Pro 8 008093218 pants - short
Fastskin Pro 8 008133218 full
Fastskin Pro 8 008153218 classic
Fastskin Pro 8 008143218 full - knee
Fastskin Pro 8 008053218 full
Aquablade 8 205157031 classic
Aquablade 10 072 7031 classic
Aquablade 8 101077031 pants - short
Fastskin 8 100090001 pants - short
Fastskin 8 100080001 pants - long
Fastskin 8 202230001 full - knee

Sports Hig
F-09 full
M-12 pants- long
M-01A pants- long
M-10 pants- long
M-08 pants- long

TYR
A12 full
A7 full
A10 full

Yamamoto
YH-M-F pants - long
YH-M-F2 pants - long

Photo of Lac St-Jean professional marathon swim by Dr. Jim Miller.

Yakult Support of Swimming

Yakult (spelled ヤクルト in Japanese and pronounced 'Yakuruto') is a probiotic milk-like product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed milk with a special strain of the bacteria Lactobacillus casei Shirota.

Yakult drinks are wildly popular in Japan and several other countries. The history of creating this bacteria can be read here.

FINA and Yakult just signed a new Official Partner agreement to extend their existing relationship. The Japanese company is now selling in 31 countries and is becoming more aggressive in additional markets around the world.

Yakult has been the FINA swim cap and women’s bib sponsor since 2005 and has provided all beverage products at the FINA World Swimming Championships. The extension of the FINA-Yakult partnership covers the FINA World Swimming Championships in 2009 and 2011 and the FINA 25-meter World Swimming Championships in 2010 and 2012.

"We are delighted to extend our partnership agreement with Yakult, a flourishing brand that is growing worldwide. FINA is happy to be associated with this success and I am sure that our athletes and officials will be once more very satisfied to find Yakult’s products at our World Championships", said FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui on this partnership renewal.


The Yakult distinctive plastic bottles are small enough to fit in an open water swimmer suit...if only the bottles were only shaped differently or, better yet, packaged in gel packs for endurance athletes.

We welcome and thank all sponsors and supporters of our global swimming community.

Looking Forward to a Great World Championships

208 entries from nearly 40 national federations have been received for the 5K, 10K and 25K races at the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome. This represents an unprecedented number of swimmers in the open water swimming portion of the championships and reflects the global growth in our sport.

With a live TV feed and a special open water swimming village, the World Championships will be something special.

Held a week before the pool competition begins, it will also be very interesting to see what technical swimsuits the athletes will wear.

Additionally, FINA will launch its formal pre-race inspection procedures for the first time ever at the open water swimming competition in Ostia, Rome - several days before the pool competition. This pre-race inspection procedure will confirm that all technical swimsuits conform to the new FINA guidelines. It may be that many pool representatives will be at the open water swimming competition just to see first-hand exactly how these procedures will be implemented. Stay tuned.

Technical Swimsuit Poll Results

We reported on the types of technical swimsuits that the world's elite marathon swimmers wore at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships (click here), but a majority of the 253 individuals who voted in our "Should technical swimsuits be banned by FINA?" poll believe that technical swimsuits should be banned. The results are as follows:

52% (133 individuals) voted YES.
35% (91 individuals) voted NO.
11% (29 individuals) voted DON'T CARE.

Photo of the men's 10K start at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships by Javier Blazquez.

What to Wear? FINA's New Swimwear Decisions

At the FINA Bureau meeting in Dubai on March 12-14, FINA adopted the Dubai Charter, a highly anticipated policy statement on swimwear.

As the world governing body for aquatic sports, FINA has the authority to issue regulations and ruling for international competitions in open water swimming, pool swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming and diving - and has influence over other governing bodies. FINA's authority extends to the specifications that govern all equipment, including the new swimsuits that have caused anxiety and concern among coaches, parents and administrators while leading to many records at the international, national, collegiate and masters levels.

FINA reaffirmed its goal to monitor the evolution of the equipment and maintain the sport's integrity. Similar discussions and debates have been ongoing among channel swimmers from England to New Zealand, among masters swimmers from Australia to the USA, and open water swimmers from the Caribbean to the South Pacific.

FINA - and the other governing bodies of open water and pool swimming - have maintained that the core principle of swimming is that it is a sport based on the physical performance of the athlete. During the Dubai meetings, FINA stated that its goal is to enable competition where the world's athletes can compete on equal footing and the winners are those who are physically superior.

At the same time, FINA believes that this goal does not imply that swimming should not integrate the natural progress and improvements in technology, bettering the conditions under which the athletes compete and optimizing their athletic performances.

FINA also acknowledged the contributions manufacturers are bringing to the sport at all levels, including to the federations, athletes, coaches and event organizers. This is especially true in open water swimming where companies like blueseventy have injected much-needed and greatly appreciated financial support to the 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit and organizations such as US Masters Swimming.




Additionally, manufacturers like TYR have sponsored open water athletes and helped publicize the sport, even using open water athletes in their promotions where pool swimmers normally have had a nearly exclusive stranglehold.

FINA believes - as do we - the cooperation of these manufacturers - from AquaZone and blueseventy to XTERRA Wetsuits and TYR - is essential to continue to develop the sport, especially open water swimming where the water temperature range and type of venues are significantly greater than in the controlled environment of pools.

In this rapidly evolving marketplace, FINA initiated a process to review the current equipment regulations and to address emerging issues. To its credit, FINA consulted directly with the manufacturers from around the world, but also sought the support of independent scientific experts who assist in determining meaningful and objective testing protocols.

In Dubai, FINA stated that it will set up a monitoring project to control on equipment development based on its Lausanne meeting in February. As a result, the following decisions were made with the aim of making the rules more clear, simple and transparent:

1. Changes to the existing FINA swimwear approval requirements - effective until December 31, 2009:
a. DESIGN: The swimsuit shall not cover the neck and shall not extend past the shoulders, nor past the ankles.
b. MATERIAL:
i. When used, the material shall follow the body shape;
ii. The application of different materials shall not create air trapping effects.
c. THICKNESS: The material used shall have a maximum thickness of 1 mm. The measurement method is in accordance with ISO Standard 5084 for textiles.
d. BUOYANCY: The swimsuit shall not have a buoyancy effect of more than 1 Newton (100 gr).
The value to be observed applies to all swimsuits sizes.
e. CONTROL: FINA has established its own independent control and testing program. Scientific testing on thickness and buoyancy will be conducted by a neutral team led by Professor Jan-Anders Manson, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Technology.
f. CONSTRUCTION: Any system providing external stimulation or influence of any form (e.g. pain reduction, chemical/medical substance release, electro-stimulation, or others) is prohibited.
g. CUSTOMIZATION: All swimsuits of an approved model must be constructed in an identical fashion with no variation/modification for individual swimmers from the samples submitted for approval. Any modification before use is prohibited. It is clarified that an adaptation of size does not constitute customization.
h. USE: The swimmer can only wear one swimsuit (FINA Rule GR 5.3).
i. SWIMSUITS TO BE SUBMITTED: All swimsuits to be used during the period of application shall be submitted, even if previously approved. The only submission deadline under these rules is March 31, 2009.
j. APPROVAL: Approvals issued under these rules remain valid until December 31, 2009. Manufacturers must indicate the approval on the product in use through a method to be implemented by FINA. The purpose is to check that the swimsuits used in competition are approved models.

In addition to the amendments above, FINA also approved the following:

2. FINA requirements for swimwear approval - effective beginning January 1, 2010:
a. SWIMWEAR SUBJECT TO APPROVAL: Any swimwear used in FINA competitions and Olympic Games shall comply with these new rules and shall be a model approved by FINA in accordance with these new procedures. It is further clarified that results achieved in other competitions may only be recognized as world records by FINA if approved swimwear has been used.
b. PERMEABILITY: In addition to the thickness and buoyancy scientific independent tests already included in the previous requirements, FINA will define the use of non-permeable materials based on a ‘permeability value’ test. The non-permeable material can only be used for a maximum 50% of the total surface of the swimsuit for full-body models. For these models, the maximum surface of non-permeable material to be used on the upper and lower part of the swimsuit shall be respectively 25% on each part. Non-permeable material shall be distinguishable.
c. SUBMISSION DATES: The first submission deadline under these rules is November 1, 2009, followed by a submission on August 1 every year. Submission to approval 12 months in advance of the forthcoming FINA World Championships or Olympic Games. Moreover, the approved model shall be available on the market at least 6 months prior to the forthcoming FINA World Championships or Olympic Games.
d. LIST OF APPROVED MODELS: FINA will publish a list of approved models. The publication is without prejudice to the fact that criteria and conditions of approval must be effectively met by products in use.
e. APPLICATION: These new rules are applicable from October 1, 2009. They are applied to swimwear to be used in competition from January 1, 2010. Further amendments, if necessary, shall be issued by the FINA Bureau.

3. FINA Monitoring Program
FINA will monitor the evolution of the swimwear to address innovations in shape, material and other elements as it consults with National Federations, athletes, coaches, Legal Commissions, Swimming Committee and manufacturers.


One thing we can be assured of in our sport of open water swimming, it will continue to grow no matter what FINA rules are adopted or what swimsuits are developed.

Postscript: We can imagine that the swimsuit that Captain Matthew Webb, the first person to cross the English Channel, meets the new FINA standards.

The Hot Button Issue of the Day - Swimsuits

FINA, represented by its Executive and Technical Swimming Commission, Legal, Coaches and Athletes Commissions’ representatives, held a meeting at its Swiss headquarters today with representatives of 16 swimwear manufacturers in order to examine amendments of the current FINA Requirements for Swimwear Approval.

Based on FINA's proposals and swimwear manufacturers information, the FINA Bureau will consider the following amendments at its upcoming March 12-14 meeting in Dubai:

• DESIGN: The swimsuit shall not cover swimmer's neck and shall not extend past the shoulders or past the ankles.

• MATERIAL:
o The material used shall have a maximum thickness of 1 mm
o When used, the material shall follow the body shape
o The application of different materials shall not create air trapping effects

• BUOYANCY: The swimsuit shall not have a buoyancy effect of more than 1 Newton (100gr)

• CONSTRUCTION: Any system providing external stimulation or influence of any form (e.g. pain reduction, chemical/medical substance release, electro-stimulation) is prohibited

• CUSTOMISATION: All swimsuits of an approved model must be constructed in an identical fashion with no variation/modification for individual swimmers from the samples submitted for approval

• USE: Swimmers can only wear one swimsuit at a time

• CONTROL: FINA will establish its own independent control/testing program. The scientific testing will be conducted by a team led by Professor Jan-Anders Manson of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Technology

• APPROVAL: Swimwear manufacturers will be able to make submissions for approval of swimsuits until March 31, 2009.

Additionally, rules applicable from January 1, 2010 will also be examined by the FINA Bureau. One of the main aspects under consideration is the limitation of the use of non-permeable material. "FINA has studied this matter very carefully, and together with all interested parties and the scientific expertise of EPFL, we have reached the best possible result," said FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui. "With these amendments, FINA shows that it continues to monitor the evolution of the sport’s equipment with the main objective of keeping the integrity of sport. While we need to remain open to evolution, the most important factors must be the athletes’ preparation and physical condition on achieving their performances."

Looking Forward at FINA

FINA announced that seven cities expressed their interest in hosting the 2013 FINA World Championships for swimming, water polo, diving, synchronized swimming and open water swimming: Belgrade (Serbia), Budapest & Belatonfüred (Hungary), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Hamburg (Germany), Hong Kong (China), Madrid (Spain) and Moscow (Russia).

The decision will be made by the FINA on July 18, 2009 during the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome. The The 14th FINA World Championships in 2011 will take place in Shanghai, China from July 16-31.

Open Water Swimming in the Americas

The Union Americana de Natacion (U.A.N.A.), translated into English as Amateur Swimming Union of the Americas, is a FINA-recognized sports organization with responsibilities in pool swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming, masters swimming and open water swimming in the Western Hemisphere.

UANA is the continental governing body recognized by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation), the world's governing body for aquatics.

Here one can find a variety of information about the swimming activities throughout the Americas.

The Spanish-language UANA open water swimming (or agua abiertas in Spanish) pages are here.

The English-language UANA open water swimming pages are here.

Swimming World Magazine also occasionally provides updates from the UANA member countries, its events and athletes.

The Passion Comes From Within You

Shelley Taylor-Smith, the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Secretary General, and founder of Champion Mindset, was recently featured at Urbanboheme, a women's portal which acts as an intermediary connecting women to their business or lifestyle needs.

Shelley gives great motivational talks that incorporate her open water swimming experiences. An excerpt below is from her talk, "Your Birthright to Achieve". In her own words, Shelley says...

October 28, 2005. The email from the FINA headquarters (the international governing body for swimming disciplines) in Switzerland read: “Lausanne (SUI), October 27, 2005 – FINA has the great pleasure to announce that the IOC Executive Board today decided to include in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games competition programme the 10km event for men and women in marathon swimming.”

It was one of those moments where time stood still -- with me in it. The subject header sent at 1.38am Sydney time read: “10km event in Open Water Swimming at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games”. I had to re-read it. I had had a restless night’s sleep knowing the IOC announcement -- a Yes in our favour or a Nay against us -- was happening as I tossed. I had requested FINA to call me. I did not care if they woke me. They know me pretty well by now. The crazy Aussie nicknamed ‘Nuts’ in the FINA office due to my unwavering commitment to marathon swimming.

I fell to my knees in tears of joy. Those magic moments that I refer to as ‘Gold Medal Moments’ that rise within you, where the hairs on your arms stand on end, as you remember (and I do remember often) …. Now … still. They are powerful.

It’s 6 am. I scream out with joy “we’re going to Beijing”. I am in shock. It can’t be that easy. Who could I share this joy with at this time of morning? I called the head coach of Swimming Australia, Alan Thompson.

That is all I said, all day. I called Alan Jones after Alan. “Do you want the scoop?” I said to the producer of the 2GB Alan Jones Breakfast show. I was at the Manly Swimming pool now and everybody thought I was coming out of retirement as I screamed out “We’re going to Beijing!”

This was the day thousands of marathon swimmers worldwide had been waiting for with anticipated breath. For many they had not held their breath. They had given up hope. Not me.

The Olympic 10km marathon swim event has the unique distinction of being both the oldest and newest of Olympic Aquatic disciplines. The modern-day Olympics utilised Open Water venues for their first three Olympiads; Athens 1896, Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904. Finally, after 104 years, open water swimming will return to the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008.

Over the past decade the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) developed a plan with great diligence to ensure that the IOC was presented with an aquatic event that would fit the Olympic ideal and represent the high quality of aquatic excellence that FINA is internationally accredited with.

The 10km distance was decided on because of its duration being similar to both the traditional running marathon and the newer Olympic triathlon. The venue used by rowing was proposed as one that would be useful in accommodating both spectators and television.

There are various terms for our sport since we have developed so fast. It has changed from long distance swimming to open water swimming to what it is now recognised as marathon swimming.

Marathon swimming could easily be considered the fastest growing discipline within the FINA family. In the 6th FINA World Championships in 1991 in Perth, Western Australia, Open Water Swimming was introduced with a 25km swim. It was here that I became the Inaugural FINA Women’s 25km World Champion winning gold for Australia.

The 7th FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome in 1994 was where the 25km was again contested. The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships returned to the favourite city of Perth, Western Australia in 1998 where the 5km event and the introduction of team awards were introduced.

Then in the year 2000, the 10km event was a part of the first FINA World Championship event dedicated exclusively to Open Water Swimming. Since that time FINA has hosted an annual World Championships and the 10km distance quickly became one of the most popular events.

‘The Dream’ appeared to happen so easily. Looking back now since that ‘gold medal moment’ two years ago, everything was in place and the timing was perfect. It began with a meeting in Hong Kong in September 2005 when the FINA Executive Director advised that the IOC were planning to discuss the addition of the 10km men’s and women’s events during their October 2005 program meetings.

The most encouraging news here is that the IOC had called FINA. Cornel Marculescu, Executive Director of FINA and the one who brought us this news, could be described as ‘cautiously optimistic’ that this all may happen for Beijing 2008.

With those two words I was dumbfounded. It can’t be that easy I thought. Cornel is never the type of person who would set us up in false hope. I remember I had Daniel Kowalski, Australian Swimming Olympian and the FINA Athletes Representative seated next to me. I was typing the minutes as Cornel informed us and as I looked at Daniel, he was grinning like me, from ear to ear. I was quietly confident. The TOWSC (FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee) members celebrated that evening in Hong Kong. I had a gut feeling. We all felt that history was in the making.

We (the TOWSC Commission of which I am Honorary Secretary) had hosted the IOC Program Committee members onboard our boat at the FINA World Swimming Championships in July 2005. I clearly remember explaining our sport as quickly as possible and as passionately as possible without jamming too much stuff down their throats. I did not want to appear desperate, regardless of how I was feeling inside, having them leave choking on our sport.

That same day in Hong Kong we created a sub-committee and prepared the Olympic selection proposal. Mr. Marculescu was very pleased with our work on this and sent it onto the IOC that same week. We had several members of the 15-member IOC Executive Board championing our efforts, including Mr. Rogge himself. As it was explained to us, the Olympic television contract commitment was originally structured to include baseball and softball, both now dropped from the program. The IOC was looking to simply add these two swimming events with little or no cost to help fulfil that obligation. The plan to use the Olympic rowing venue and the great television ratings of FINA Swimming in Athens have been major selling points.

Yes we were in the right place at the right time. It is all about timing.

Since the IOC announcement in 2005, we have seen an amazing growth in our sport.
The FINA TOWSC has had to quickly adapt with rule changes to promote the sport. For our sport to be seen as ‘media friendly’, we have introduced the dive start from a floating pontoon. This is the opportunity for spectators, whether at the event or at home, to get up close and personal with our marathon swimming athletes. There has been a 1000 per cent increase in Officials and Referees accreditations. FINA has hosted its inaugural Open Water Swimming Seminar in 2006.

From the pool to the board.

My introduction to marathon swimming began in 1983 as a member of the ‘Lady Razorback Swim Team’ whilst studying at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. I dived into professional marathon swimming in 1985 and retired as 7-time World Marathon Swimming Champion in 1998. Whilst competing, I served as the FINA Athletes representative and Chairman of the committee from 1992 to 2000. Since 2000, I have served as Honorary Secretary for marathon swimming as a member of the
TOWSC.

My role as Honorary Secretary includes administering the sport internationally. Most important matters of late have included rule changes, staging the Open Water Swimming seminar, finalising the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games qualifying selection process, supporting national federations and their athletes’ concerns, training officials and referees in China whilst focusing on our main objective to stage the best ever competition in Beijing.

It reminds me of when Women’s Water Polo was accepted into the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon. The same has been experienced in our sport. Even Grant Hackett is talking about having a go at in the 10km marathon swim in Beijing.

Fast forward to August 2007 and it’s the TOWSC Commission’s first official visit to Beijing to meet with the IOC, BOCOG (Beijing Olympic Committee Olympic Games) and the ICF (International Canoe Federation). Arriving into Beijing you can sense the excitement. There is construction going 24/7. As we head to the hotel our view is saturated by construction cranes

The venue for the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim is the rowing basin at Rowing-Canoe-Marathon Swim Park. A state of the art venue does not do it justice. The water quality is outstanding. The facilities are excellent for athletes, spectators, coaches and federations. It is a 40 minute drive from Beijing to the venue. FINA is co-sharing the facility with two other sports – Rowing and Canoeing.

Staging the best ever competition was now satisfied by expecting the venue.
The meeting agenda highlighted key issues including the schedule of events and meetings, sharing facilities, the course including start and finish, feeding stations, the timing system and availability for on-course training where swimmers familarise themselves with their racing environment.

The meeting was successful. Our outcomes were achieved. All parties agreed this will be the most spectacular Games in the history of the Olympic Games. There is one thing the Chinese do well – they deliver on their promise.

The 10km Marathon swim for women and men will be staged at 9am on August 20 and 21, 2007. I’ll be ‘ringside’ with my fellow TOWSC members and BOCOG delivering my promise for the talented 25 men and 25 women competing in the inaugural 10km Marathon Swim Olympic Event: ‘to enjoy their Olympic experience’.

Go for gold…..it’s your birthright to achieve!

To see Shelley on video, check out the following on YouTube:

2009 World Swimming Championships

FINA announced its plans for the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships to be held in Rome, Italy between July 18th and August 2nd, 2009.

The 2006 World Open Water Swimming Championships were also held in Rome, but the 5K, 10K and 25K race courses have not yet been announced by FINA.

On a slightly related note, Andrew Page of Australia and the worldwide growth of masters open water swimming received a nice write-up on the FINA website. The article can be found here .

A Clean Sport - Confirmed by FINA

FINA, the global governing body of pool swimming, open water swimming, water polo, diving and synchronized swimming, announced today that it conducted a total number of 890 unannounced out-of-competition tests on 621 athletes from the five aquatic disciplines between January-July 2008

All tests were negative.

A related story on swimmers and drug allegations was previously posted here.

After observing Dara throughout her career, during the Olympic training camp and at the Olympics, it was clear to this writer that her success is based on her unparalleled focus, an innovative scientific approach, efficient stroke technique and world-class physical gifts.

"Dara is the fastest [female] swimmer in the water," says Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas, USA Swimming’s Sports Science Director of Sports Science and the world’s leading expert on lactate testing. "She has great technique. We carefully analyzed Dara’s stroke at the US Olympic Training Center using the Swim Power device. After a detailed analysis of her technique, we made small adjustments in her technique before the Olympic Trials."

With unfounded rumors and speculation that Dara is taking drugs to enhance her performance, she is completely open to all current and future testing.

Dara not only has her urine tested frequently, but she has also volunteered to have her blood tested regularly.

"They can test me all they want," said Dara. Dara with confidence and a hint of frustration in her voice. "I need people to know I am clean. And, they keep my blood for years. They take five vials of blood each time and if there is some advanced analysis developed in the future, they can test my blood then."

With that kind of training regimen, focus and track record of success over 3 decades, it is understandable why Dara is breaking new ground for athletes of all ages, abilities and backgrounds…fairly and cleanly.

Photo of Dara Torres by Colin A Gift.

All Clear in the Water

FINA announced that 100% of the doping tests conducted at the Beijing Olympics came back negative. 216 urine tests, 103 EPO tests and 24 blood tests were conducted during the Olympics.

FINA Approval of New World Cup Cities

The 2008 FINA Bureau Meeting told place in Beijing during the Olympics. Various decisions were made including the approval of 2 new National Federations: Afghanistan and British Virgin Islands. The total number of FINA Federations is now 197.

Additionally, the calendar of the 2009 FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup and the 2009 FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix were approved.

This calendar includes two new World Cup events in the U.S. One in Long Beach, California and one in Manhattan, New York.

The Long Beach event is being organized by Olympic pole vault champion Bob Seagren and his event management team at International City Racing. The Manhattan event is being organized by Morty Berger and his colleagues at the Manhattan Island Foundation.

FINA also announced that 164 countries sent 1,043 pool swimmers, 50 open water swimmers, 145 divers, 104 synchronized swimmers and 260 water polo players to the Beijing Olympics.

Photo of Marine Stadium in Long Beach, California.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

International Hall of Fame Honors Shelley Taylor-Smith

Early this year, Australian Shelley Taylor-Smith was awarded the International Swimming Hall of Fame's prestigious 2008 Irving Davids / Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award for service and contribution to the sport of marathon swimming.

The award marks Taylor-Smith's second International Swimming Hall of Fame award in 2008 after she received notification last year of her induction into the 2008 Hall of Fame class.

Taylor-Smith was at the US Olympic Swim Trials for her Honoree induction for outstanding achievements internationally in marathon swimming - the highest recognition awarded in her stellar career as a competitor. She joined 45 other Australians in the Hall of Fame including Forbes Carslile, Dawn Fraser, Shane Gould and Kieren Perkins.

“I owe a lot to a lot of people and these awards are not about me, they’re about the people around me that have helped me achieve what I’ve wanted,” Taylor-Smith said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them and for me personally, getting this recognition is more about the sport and those people. It’s like anything in life - if you stick to it you can make it and achieve what you want. The Davids - Wheeler Award is for my contribution and service to the sport but I never think of giving back to my sport as being a service. I think it’s a natural thing we should do in the community or a particular area of life that we’re passionate about.”

Taylor-Smith will be on the water in the official’s boat during the women's and men's Olympic 10K Marathon Swims and is currently serving as the Secretary-General of FINA’s Technical Open Water Swimming Committeee.

For her activities outside of FINA and the open water swimming community, go to Champion Mindset, Australia’s leading lifestyle success coaching, self development and motivation company.