Swimmer's Daily | Fast Fix Blog About Swimming

Russians No Longer Dispute Olympic Doping Operation

Dec 27, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Doping

Russia is for the first time conceding that its officials carried out one of the biggest conspiracies in sports history: a far-reaching doping operation that implicated scores of Russian athletes, tainting not just the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi but also the entire Olympic movement.

Over several days of interviews here with The New York Times, the Russian officials said they no longer disputed a damning set of facts that detailed a doping program with few, if any, historical precedents.

â€œIt was an institutional conspiracy,â€ Anna Antseliovich, the acting director general of Russiaâ€™s national antidoping agency, said of yearsâ€™ worth of cheating schemes.

A lab director tampered with urine samples at the Olympics and provided cocktails of performance-enhancing drugs, corrupting some of the worldâ€™s most prestigious competitions. Members of the Federal Security Service, a successor to the K.G.B., broke into sample bottles holding urine. And a deputy sports minister for years ordered cover-ups of top athletesâ€™ use of banned substances.

Read The New York Times
The Olympic Gold Medalist Working to End Drowning

Dec 27, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Competition, Safety

When he was 5 years old, Cullen Jones nearly drowned. But that didn’t stop him from getting back in the water. Today, he’s a four-time Olympic medalist who has made it his job to help others learn to swim.

See Great Big Story
The Moment: Anthony Ervin Takes the Road Less Traveled to Rio Gold

Dec 27, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Competition

Sure, many athletes have competed in multiple Olympic Games. Many have won multiple individual golds. But doing so 16 years apart? Thatâ€™s an exclusive group. In fact, membership may consist solely of Anthony Ervin.

Sixteen years after tying for the Olympic title in the 50 meter freestyle at the Sydney Games, Ervin returned to swimmingâ€™s grandest stage in 2016 and sprinted to the top of the podium once again â€“ in the process becoming the oldest swimmer to ever win individual gold.

To say the 35-year-old took the road less traveled to Rio is an understatement.

Read USA Swimming
Citius, Altius, Fortius – A look back at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Dec 27, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Competition

Every four years the planetâ€™s biggest multi-sport event comes around to thrill the masses.

The 2016 Olympic Games took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

But just like previous editions the build-up to the Games was thick with controversy.

In times of economic hardship in the region the Gamesâ€™ multibillion-dollar price tag raised concerns and tempers amongst locals.

And the threat of a mosquito-borne virus, high levels of pollution and crime rate and the usual delays in infrastructure and construction of venues also dominated the pre-Olympic headlines.

See euronews
This Is What Happens When You Fall Through Ice, and How to Save Yourself

Dec 21, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Safety

Falling through ice on a frozen lake can be terrifying, but if you keep calm you can save your own life. This video demonstrates what happens to your body when you fall into freezing water and how to climb back out onto the ice.

Read Lifehacker
Watch Prince William and Michael Phelps Bond Over Fatherhood

Dec 21, 2016

—

by

rokur

in History

When two young dads meet, what do they talk about? Their kids, of course â€” even when the two dads in question are Prince William and gold medal Olympian Michael Phelps.

After Phelps cemented his title as historyâ€™s greatest Olympian this year, collecting five more gold medals (for a grand total of 23!) in Rio, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event in Birmingham, England.

Presenting the honor was none other than Prince William and fellow swimmer Ian Thorpe. On stage, the royal lauded Phelpsâ€™s accomplishments in the pool.

Read PEOPLE
Iraqi refugee who raped 10yo boy at Austrian swimming pool due to â€˜sexual emergencyâ€™ given 7 years

Dec 16, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Safety

An Iraqi refugee convicted of raping a 10-year-old boy at a Vienna swimming pool has had his sentence increased from six to seven years in prison as the result of a retrial.

A Vienna court slapped 21-year-old Amir A. with the longer prison sentence on Tuesday, after finding him guilty of serious sexual assault and rape of a minor.

The retrial came after a previous sentence of six years was overturnedÂ in October after a defense lawyer argued that the lower court had not done enough to determine whether the rapist had realized that the boy was saying no.

Read RT
Princeton Suspends Menâ€™s Swimming, Diving Teamâ€™s Season Over Alleged Racist, Misogynistic Materials

Dec 16, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Organization

According to Princeton University, the season for the schoolâ€™s menâ€™s swimming and diving team has been suspended. The decision stems from alleged misogynistic and racist content that appeared on the teamâ€™s listserv.

Read CBS Philly and The Daily Pennsylvanian

Photo by Harshil.Shah
Backstage fun with the athletes | Windsor 2016

Dec 16, 2016

—

by

rokur

in Competition

Next to the whole race action at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Windsor, we also had some backstage chatter in a very relaxed atmosphere with Chad Le Clos, Katinka Hosszu, Mitch Larkin, Taehwan Park and much more!