The official currency of the BCN2013 Planet Water Village at the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. These two were complimentary and enough to buy two sodas or beers or something. Still got them; with interest they might be worth a lot at Kazan 2015 !! :-P
Read The Local
Muslim schoolgirls can not skip swimming lessons on religious grounds, one of Germany’s top courts ruled on Wednesday.
The ruling was sparked by a case involving a Muslim girl who argued she should not have to take part in swimming classes because she would see bare-chested boys in their swimming trunks.
The 13-year-old from Frankfurt am Main took the case to Germany’s top administrative court – The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig – after losing the case at a court in Kassel, west Germany last year.
Judges in Leipzig said the girl could wear a full-body swimsuit known as a burkini to help maintain her religious beliefs.
It argued that in the summer, outside of school, men also went about bare-chested and school could not suppress the “social reality”.
Turns out that Thea Storm Henriksen’s 30 Ironman events in 30 days is only her part of an actual (crazy) Triple Deca Ironman competition in Northern Italy, where 50 athletes ‘attempt the impossible’. Thea managed to complete one before sitting out two with the flu, hoping to start again Friday to attempt at the world record of 20 completed Ironman events in 30 days, or the female world record of 11, or at least a ‘Thea-record’. Compatriot Kim Greisen crashed on the second day, suffering a splintered femur, so he is out. Leading the race is Czech endurance athlete Kamil Suran, who yesterday had won the three first (daily, consecutive) Ironmans in 11:25.48.20, 11:46.40.60 and 12:19.52.44. See all results here.
“Ryan Lochte swam the Hudson to bring COMBOS® Pizzeria Pretzel to hungry, adoring fans in what could be considered the Most Epic Pizza Delivery of all time.”
http://youtu.be/gqB4QjFMfuc
“SOL REPUBLIC Saviors of Sound Michael Phelps and Steve Aoki swap places! Can Aoki swim? Can Phelps spin? Why are they throwing so much cake? Watch the video to find out!”
See CNN
During a conference call with more than a dozen of her peers Tuesday, Nyad was adamant that her swim was by the book.
“I swam,” she said. “We made it, our team, from the rocks of Cuba to the beach of Florida, in squeaky clean, ethical fashion.”
She said she never held onto a boat or another person “for any kind of flotation or support.”
Her navigator, John Bartlett, described how the team picked up a current that had them moving nearly four miles an hour for several hours on the second day of the nearly 53-hour journey. That’s how and when her speed nearly doubled, he said.
World Champion Christian Sprenger chats to past and present members of the Australian Swim Team on pool deck at the 2013 Australian Short Course Championships.
See also this one featuring Geoff Huegill from back in 2012
Read Spiegel Online (in English)
A German court will rule Wednesday whether Muslim girls can be exempted from co-ed swimming lessons, an issue that has sparked many disputes. The judges must decide what takes precedence: freedom of religion or the state’s obligation to educate all.
See wptv.com
“In my gut I would be very surprised to learn she did the entire swim unassisted,” said Cassidy.
Cassidy, who also heads the swimming program at St. Andrews High School, questions a gap charted by Nyad’s crew. It is a roughly seven-mile stretch when Nyad apparently did not stop to eat or drink.
“I don’t know if it’s humanly possible to do what some of her crew is asserting she did, that whole swim without any assistance,” said Cassidy.
The South Florida endurance swimmer and coach is not alone.
There are hundreds commenting on posts on Facebook and throughout various swimming blogs.
See also ABC News
