Swimmer's Daily

  • Afghanistan National Swimming Federation (ANSF) was established in 2004 to provide leadership and management on all swimming activities and to represent Afghanistan on the international stage. It is affiliated with the All Asia Swimming Federation (AASF) and International Swimming Federation (FINA) internationally, as well Afghanistan National Olympic Committee domestically. Afghanistan, it goes without mention has been through a lot in recent history. Development of infrastructure and sporting leagues is pivotal to providing youth and the opportunity to enjoy the many amenities and facilities peace provides to strive towards their goals and dreams.

    Along these lines, the federation faces a multitude of challenges both culturally and fiscally on the road to realizing its mission and vision statements, such as but not limited to the lack of regular facilities that have dampened the federation’s efforts. Un-phased however, the swimming federation seeks to solve these challenges and furthermore address the lack of female participation in the sport. Almost all regional neighbors and the wider world have women’s teams except Afghanistan. ANSF believes the time is right to empower women in this respect, and have them as equal partners in making further cultural and modernizing strides of the country. Upon the proposal of the idea, many females and their family members have inquired and contact the federation in seeking support in furthering their interests in swimming and pursuing athletic endeavors in this capacity.

    Given the incremental advances of the country and steps towards modernization Afghanistan has made, we at ANSF sternly believe in the timing of this proposal to establish an all-women’s team. Past attempts by the federation along with athletes and student-athletes have not able to raise funds due to lack of support of the wider community. Nonetheless, our members have shown great enthusiasm in seeking support when and wherever possible.

    See Dreamfuel

  • Troubled Olympian Grant Hackett has been found “alive and sober” on the Gold Coast, according to his father Neville.

    Hackett, who was reported missing by his father on Thursday afternoon, made contact with police late in the day.

    “Grant’s been found alive and sober,” Mr Hackett said outside the family’s Mermaid Waters home. “He’s spoken to police.”

    Read stuff.co.nz

    https://youtu.be/PFDlvhv9z1c

    https://youtu.be/jJVqco0ZxBQ

  • If you’re the parent of a child with asthma, you know it can be a challenge to find ways to help him or her exercise safely and comfortably. But experts say there is one activity that can help keep your child fit, and actually improve asthma symptoms.

    “When it comes to cardiovascular activities that are well-tolerated, swimming, specifically, is highly recommended, particularly in indoor swimming pools,” said Tod Olin, M.D., a pediatric pulmonary specialist at National Jewish Health. “We know that the kids with asthma are less likely to trigger attacks if they’re in a really humid environment, and the water forces them to be more conscious and controlled with their breathing.”

    Not far from Dr. Olin’s office is Morgridge Academy, a school for children with chronic conditions who require daily medical attention on the campus of National Jewish Health. Administrators there consider swimming so therapeutic that it’s a part of the school curriculum.

    “Before coming to us, many of our kids didn’t run around and play like other kids,” said Jennifer McCullough, director of Education at Morgridge Academy. “But when you get them into that pool with that warm air, and teach them how to regulate their breathing, they can do a lot more physical activity than they would be able to do otherwise.”

    Read National Jewish Health

  • The family of Olympic champion Grant Hackett fear the swimmer is “dangerous” and are pleading for help to deal with his mental health issues.

    Hackett was arrested at his parents’ Gold Coast home today after becoming agitated and verbally abusive.

    His father Nev said calling police to help calm his son down was the only option at his disposal.

    A dishevelled Hackett was taken to the Southport watch house in handcuffs before being released without charge later this afternoon.

    The unshaven 1500m great was captured by news cameras slumped in the back of a police car as he was driven into the watch house before he raised his cuffs and amiably gave a shaka sign.

    Hackett’s brother Craig said the family was committed to helping Grant but had run out of answers and were hoping for an accurate medical diagnosis. “This is now a chronic problem and it looks like it’s not going to go away in a hurry,” he said.

    “The whole family have been doing all that we can but now it’s kind of out of our hands, it really is. The Grant Hackett that Australia fell in love with, they can still have that affection towards him.

    “(But) this is not Grant Hackett. This is a completely different person. I don’t know this person, my mum and dad don’t know this person. He’s there in body, but he’s not there in mind, soul or spirit.

    Read The Australian

    https://youtu.be/y7iFIS6rKms

  • Rio de Janeiro pulled off last year’s Olympics, keeping crime at bay and fending off dire forecasts of corruption, environmental degradation, and cost overruns.

    Six months after South America’s first games, the floodgates have burst.

    Rio organizers still owe creditors about $40 million. Four of the new arenas in the main Olympic Park have failed to find private-sector management, and ownership has passed to the federal government. Another new arena will be run by the cash-strapped city with Brazil stuck in its deepest recession in decades.

    The historic Maracana stadium, site of the opening and closing ceremony, has been vandalized as stadium operators, the Rio state government, and Olympic organizers have fought over $1 million in unpaid electricity bills. The electric utility reacted by cutting off all power to the city landmark.

    There are few players for a new $20 million Olympic golf course, and little money for upkeep. Deodoro, the second-largest cluster of Olympic venues, is closed and searching for a management company.

    The state of Rio de Janeiro is months late paying teachers, hospital workers, and pensions. The state also reports record-breaking crime in 2016 in almost all categories from homicides to robbery.

    “During the Olympics, the city was really trying hard to keep things together,” said Oliver Stuenkel, a Brazilian who teaches international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a Brazilian university. “But the minute the Olympics were over, the whole thing disintegrated.”

    Read USA Today

  • A dark, comic tale that jumps between a psychiatrist’s office and the fast lane of a public swimming pool, Beneath the Surface is the story of Michael, a young man undergoing long-term psychiatric evaluation.

    During the film we see how perceived infringements of etiquette spiral out of control in a delusional mind and conclude with a startling self-realisation on the behalf of our silent narrator.

    Thematically Beneath the Surface explores how Apophenia (seeing patterns and making connections in random or meaningless data) can effect memory and behaviour whilst observing some humorous truths about lane swimming in public pools.

    Written and directed by filmmaker Alexander Osman, the story is beautifully captured by acclaimed cinematographer Shaun Harley Lee and scored by Prix Italia-nominated composer, Jon Nicholls.

    A talented cast is led by Stephen McLeod, Lucy Roselyn and Tommie Grabiec.

  • Members of the Aarhus City Council voted overwhelmingly to end women-only swimming lessons at a popular pool in Denmark’s second-largest city, local media reports.

    Every Saturday over the past ten years, Gellerupbadet swimming hall in Aarhus has offered female-only swimming lessons, popular among immigrant women from nearby Gellerupparken, an area with a large Muslim population. However, that offering came to an ubrupt end on Wednesday when the council, led by the ruling Venstre party, voted to stop the lessons by a majority of 26-5, with the only opposition coming from left-wing councilors affiliated with two small parties.

    “Children and adults need to learn that it is completely natural to swim together regardless of religious belief,” read a statement from Venstre, as quoted by TV2. “Therefore it is a disservice and not an integration initiative when special offers are made.”

    However, even before the decision on Wednesday, the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) signaled its desire to appeal, arguing that the women who attended the lessons were being deprived of a service they themselves had sought.

    “When you take away the opportunity you make it more difficult for ethnic minority women to use the swimming pool and participate in society. I believe that is problematic,” spokeswoman Maria Ventegodt Liisberg told the Ritzau news agency.

    “It is very important to work toward eliminating social controls, but there is nothing to indicate that the women use this program because they are forced to by their husbands or fathers. On the contrary, surveys indicate that strong women who work and who speak Danish are the ones who choose to take advantage of this offer.”

    Read RT

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