Swimmer's Daily

  • It was one of the most captivating interviews in recent memory and now Sir Michael Parkinson has lifted the lid on the sage advice he gave to Aussie swimmer Ian Thorpe before he came out.

    Looking back, the 80-year-old recounted his conversation with the sports star to News.com.au.

    “I said to him at the time: ‘Why the hell did you think that because you were gay that you had to keep it a secret? Who gives a toss?’”

    Michael cites the attitudes were different in Thorpie’s heyday and that swimming was predominately a “butch sport.” The veteran reporter also believes Ian held onto his secret was because of guilt.

    “Why did he waste all that time feeling cut off — unable to be honest with himself and his parents and everybody. I think it (the interview) purged him of a great feeling of guilt. It is an indication of how Australia has grown up … that he has been accepted.”

    Read Woman’s Day

  • Watch Adam Peaty smash the world record in the 100m breaststroke at the British Championships in London. The City of Derby swimmer also gave us his reaction after his outstanding race.

  • The Hungarian Prime Minister Mr. Viktor Orbán and FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione were in Lausanne on April 16 to sign the official host city agreement between FINA and the city of Budapest, Hungary, the host city of the FINA World Championships and World Masters Championships in 2017.

  • A #SwimBiz panel discussion featuring Susan Woessner, Safe Sport Director, USA Swimming and panelists Tom Ugast, CEO, Nation’s Capital Swim Club, Karyn Morrill, Owner, Floaties Swim School. Moderator: Scott Leightman, Communications and PR Director, USA Swimming.

  • A #SwimBiz presentation by John Martin, Sports Communications Manager, USA Swimming, courtesy of USA Swimming on YouTube

  • The secret is consistent management, according to a new study. […]

    You might be tempted to think the answer is as simple as “Michael Phelps.” But the U.S. has been dominant in the sport since long before Phelps’s first Olympics. And now the organization has produced a study that it believes explains why: management. […]

    You would assume all countries have the same rigid management map for their Olympic teams. But Kirwan says that’s not the case. In Ireland, he says, “people would often say that some of the athletes were succeeding despite the program, not because of it.” And it isn’t that young American amateur swimmers have more raw talent than young swimmers in other countries, either. Their talent is shaped more effectively: “The problem we had in Ireland was we couldn’t properly manage the talent,” says Kirwan. “The structured environment we have here just wasn’t in place.”

    Read Fortune

    Photo by bryangeek

  • Yesterday in his opening address at the SportAccord Convention in Sochi, Russia, president of the International Federations Union SportAccord Marius Vizer held no punches back against the International Olympic Committeee and IOC president Thomas Bach, stating that “The International Sport Movement Needs Real Reforms”, and in a following interview that “We don’t need Cardinals of Sport“.

    This was followed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) immediately withdrawing its SportAccord membership, and the International Paralympic Committeee (IPC) following suit the day after, and the council of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federation deciding unanimously to suspend relations with SportAccord, with immediate effect pending a full review. Read Reuters

    'What I say is true and nobody can stop that'http://goo.gl/1umgrNDo you agree with Mr. Vizer? Comment and let us know! Posted by SportAccord on Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  • The South Korean doctor who administered an injection that caused swim star Park Tae-Hwan to fail a drugs test has become the scapegoat in the affair, her lawyer argued in court Tuesday.

    The doctor, identified only by her surname Kim, is standing trial on charges of professional negligence, violating the medical code and causing bodily harm.

    She pleaded not guilty to all three charges Tuesday as the case opened.

    Read SuperSport

    Photo by KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

  • For a myopic teenager who can barely see his hand in front of his face, Australia’s Mack Horton has a laser-sharp focus on his bid to restore his nation’s dynasty in the 1,500 metres freestyle.

    Swimming’s most gruelling pool event holds a special fascination in Australia, which has produced an honour-roll of 1,500 champions since Andrew “Boy” Charlton at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

    “I’m definitely aware of all the greats, Murray Rose, Kieren Perkins, (Grant) Hackett,” 18-year-old Horton told Reuters in a telephone interview of the legacy of Australia winning eight of the 24 Olympic titles in the race since the 1908 London Games.

    “I’ve grown up through the Hackett era, so that’s probably what I know best.

    “They’re massive shoes to fill … I’m just doing what I can do and do the best that I can do whilst enjoying it.”

    Read euronews