Swimmer's Daily

  • IOC meeting Tuesday to discuss sanctions; WADA recommends full Rio ban

    An independent investigation led by a Canadian law professor has confirmed evidence of widespread, state-sponsored doping in Russian sports, further fuelling calls for a full ban on the country from next month’s Rio Olympics.

    Richard McLaren of Western University in London, Ont., released his findings today at news conference in Toronto, saying labs in Moscow and Sochi protected Russian athletes.

    In short, Russia’s deputy minister of sports, who was also part of Russia’s Olympic Committee, would direct workers at Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory of which positive samples to send through and which to hold back. Assisting the plan was Russia’s national security service — the FSB, the current version of the Soviet Union’s KGB.

    McLaren said Russia’s cheating program, which he dubbed the “disappearing positive methodology,” lasted from 2011 — shortly after Russia’s disappointing showing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics — through at least last year’s world swimming championships in Kazan, Russia. His timeframe includes the 2013 track and field world championships in Moscow.

    McLaren said out of 577 positive sample screenings, 312 positive results were held back — or labeled “Save”‘ by the lab workers — but that was only a “small slice” of the data that could have been examined. More than 240 of the 312 “Saves”‘ came from track and field and wrestling, but other sports involved included swimming, rowing, snowboarding — and even table tennis.

    Read CBC Sports

    Russian_Doping

    https://youtu.be/2-01_CDZ13k

  • He started swimming aged six, and, 13 years later, Joshua Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza will represent Uganda at the forthcoming Olympics games in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The teenager is Uganda’s overall fastest male swimmer having set two national records at last year’s World Championships in Kazan, Russia. The 19-year-old achieved a personal best of 25.54 seconds in the 50 metres freestyle and a flat 33 seconds in the 50 metres breaststroke. He will compete only in the 50 metres free in Rio, but does not expect to end up on the podium.

  • Olympic Swimmer Dara Torres on not coming out of retirement and how she feels about her quickly approaching 50th birthday.

  • Olympic swimming legend Mark Spitz was nearly in the movie “Jaws,” as he revealed on the “Today” show this week.

    The seven-time gold medal winner said he met with director Steven Spielberg, took acting lessons and screen-tested for a role in the popular shark thriller. Unfortunately for him, the part he tested for eventually went to Richard Dreyfuss.

    “Everything was great, but it was so close to the Olympics they couldn’t get over the idea that I was still going to be Mark Spitz, that the transcending of who I was as an athlete into the movies was too great,” he said.

    By the time the movie premiered, the role had changed. When Spitz read for the part, his character was supposed to be eaten by the shark.

    Read Sporting News

  • Students at Finnsnes School in Troms will be allowed to take part in swimming lessons wearing full-body covering swimsuits – also known as burkinis.

    The arrangement was the result of dialogue between parents and teachers at the school, who held meetings with representatives from Norway’s Refugee Board (flyktningetjenesten) and interpretors, according to Nordlys.

    “If [parents] wish for their daughters to wear burkinis, bought with their own money, then that is okay, but they must having swimming lessons in the same way and together with all the others,” Espen Hay, head teacher of Finnsnes School, told Nordlys.

    “We made it clear to parents that religion does not provide exemption for participation in swimming lessons. It is important for us that no students miss out on the opportunities everyone else has,” Hay continued.

    The school hopes that the agreement will boost attendance of swimming classes.

    “The Education Act [Opplæringsloven] sets out requirements for what must be learnt at school. Subjects or activities can not be rejected by children or parents or even by me as head teacher.

    “Just as you can’t not show up to mathematics because you don’t like it, you must take part in swimming lessons,” the Finnsnes School head continued.

    Read The Local

    Photo by Giorgio Montersino

  • Catriona Barr was wild swimming in the sea near Lerwick when she spotted the bull orca underneath her.

    Her attention was drawn to the mammal after she noticed people on the shore were watching her.

    Erik Isbister, who was watching from the shoreline, believed the orca may have mistaken Ms Barr for a seal.

    The encounter happened at Da Sletts at Breiwick on Wednesday and was filmed from shore.

    Ms Barr swims in the sea almost every day and said she was used to seeing people walking along the nearby shore.

    She also said she was aware of the risks of swimming in the sea, but had never before come across orcas on her swims.

    Read BBC

    https://youtu.be/JLf3c4IMqGo

    https://youtu.be/HcCGlEg2xis

  • Many have tried to keep a white shark in captivity. Here’s why that’s so difficult.