Swimmer's Daily

  • Less than a week before the Paralympics opens, organisers are hoping that a late surge of interest will help them to fill seats, stretch budgets and avoid criticism that the second stage of Rio 2016 will be remembered as the “neglected Games”.

    Financial cuts, downgraded facilities, volunteer shortfalls and poor ticket sales have overshadowed the countdown to the opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium on Wednesday, prompting fears that the events could be even more sparsely attended than for the Olympics last month.

    However, athletes – who are now arriving at Galeão international airport – hope the atmosphere can be salvaged by a late marketing push.

    The Paralympic torch relay, which got under way last Thursday, is seen as the best opportunity to drum up public enthusiasm. Barely half of the 2.5 million tickets for the 500 medal events have been sold, despite prices as low as 10 reais (£2.30) – a quarter of the cheapest seat prices at the Olympics.

    An online campaign was launched in the UK last week – #filltheseats – to buy tickets for Brazilian children. With support from major donors, including Sainsbury’s and Allianz, it was already 10 times above its initial target after eight days. Donovan Ferreti, the ticketing director of Rio 2016, said he had been encouraged by a pick-up in local demand from Rio residents in the past week. “We have a long way to go, but we are happy with the last-minute demand,” he said. “It’s really affordable – cheaper than going to see a movie. We are telling people they can have a great time with high-performance competition and have a great day out in the Olympic Park.”

    Read The Guardian

  • Almost half of the independent anti-doping experts at swimming’s world governing body have resigned amid claims their advice on how to deal with the Russian doping crisis was ignored before the Rio Olympics.

    Professor Andrew Pipe, who chaired FINA’s doping control review board (DCRB), and two other members of the eight-strong panel wrote to the governing body’s president Dr Julio Maglione on Thursday.

    In the letter the three say the review board had unanimously agreed a process to assess each Russian swimmer’s Rio eligibility, as FINA and the International Olympic Committee had requested in response to an explosive World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned investigation into state-sponsored doping in Russia.

    “Despite the anti-doping expertise of the individuals who make up the DCRB, FINA chose to ignore our advice,” the resignation letter said.

    “We learned of FINA’s decisions regarding the eligibility of Russian competitors only by observing the Olympic competition.

    “We were disappointed to note that our recommendations were not followed – and even more disappointed to receive no specific response to a subsequent written request for information regarding the reasons for FINA’s decision.”

    Read RTÉ

  • Trying to calm down during a bout of anxiety is likely futile. Instead, try saying: “I am excited.” Because anxiety and excitement are both arousal emotions and have similar symptoms, it’s easier to get from one to the other than to completely shift gears into calmness. In this short video, staff writer Olga Khazan explores this theory with Alison Wood Brooks, a professor at Harvard Business School who has researched this phenomenon, and tests it out for herself at karaoke.

  • Cheryl Burke is back for Season 23 of “Dancing with the Stars” after three seasons away, and she’s partnered with the most-talked-about celebrity, swimmer Ryan Lochte, fresh off his lying scandal at the Olympics in Rio.

  • Enjoy some of the best moments of the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 in Berlin.

  • Are our swimming pools safe? Every year, reports about outbreaks of cryptosporidia are in the news. The bacteria, which are resistant to chlorine, can cause many symptoms, including watery diarrhea. Should you worry about getting sick when you dive in?

  • Arthur Kade chats with Olympic Swimmer Simone Manuel who made history in Rio and returned with 2 gold medals and 2 silver medals.

  • Brock Turner, the ex Stanford swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman is set for release from jail this Friday. Given public outcry Betty Yu says jail officials are preparing for the worst.

  • Connor Jaeger comes back to Fair Haven after winning an Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro.