Swimmer's Daily

  • See for instance Shropshire Star

    The Duke of Cambridge has recorded a video message in support of the Amateur Swimming Association’s (ASA) vision that every child has the right to learn to swim.

    William outlines the importance of children being confident in water in his message which follows an ASA report that claims more than half of youngsters aged seven to 11 years cannot swim 25 metres unaided.

    The Association has said this equates to just over a million children who are potentially not safe in and around water.

    The Duke, who is patron of the English Schools Swimming Association, says in the video: “Swimming has always been important to me – I was very proud to represent Scottish Universities at water polo and both Catherine and I will never forget the excitement and pride we felt cheering on Team GB in the Aquatics Centre last summer at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    “Swimming is unique – it is the only sport that can save lives – which is why I’m so keen for school swimming to be accessible for all children at all primary schools.

    “The ASA has a belief – a vision, which I share – that every child has the right to learn to swim.

  • Our youngest and a girl wading out to fetch buckbeans in our local lake. I had just returned from taking a photo of a bird’s nest that his big brother and a friend had found (yes, it was that idyllic), when my wife said that Bjarki had gone wading in the lake. So up it went again, found him and zoom and snap, a lucky shot. He got two of those buckbeans, and wet pants.

    A lucky shot

  • barclay-nettlefoldSwimming Australia has sunk to a new low, with its president today resigning in disgrace after lewd comments he made to colleagues surfaced. There is obviously bad blood between the parties involved as Nettlefold describes the matter as ‘a personality attack on me […] that needs to be dealt with too’, while Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson reserves their right to investigate further.

    “Someone is after me. This is clearly a vendetta.”

    According to this statement from Swimming Australia CEO, Mark Anderson, the Board will now conseder the appointment of an Acting President at a Board meeting to be convened later this week.

    Read also for instance Herald Sun, Courier Mail, The Guardian, SwimVortex

  • Read The New Indian Express

    The heavily polluted Karamana river, which has literally turned into drainage canal, can, ironically, boast of moulding swimming champions who even took part in international events. However, the advantage is now lost as the river, having turned a dump yard, is no longer fit for swimming, leaving the swimmers in the lurch.

    Creating a pool of trained swimmers is what the YMA Swimming Club at Thiruvallom has taken up for the past 50 years as a challenge. The club had embarked on the initiative to train children at a young age to mould them into champions. But now, the youngsters have no place to swim and the polluted river has reduced the number of club members to less than 100.

    Karmana-River

    Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Duncan GoodhewRead Sunderland Echo

    Former Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew gave youngsters a coaching session to mark the refurbishment of their pool.

    The pool, at Chester-le-Street Leisure Centre, is now more energy efficient after British Gas upgraded the building’s heating and lighting.

    Duncan, 56, whose son is studying at Northumbria University, said: “Modernised heating and ventilation means the pool here in Chester-le-Street is a nicer place for users and the council has a smaller energy bill, so everyone’s a winner.

    “I hope people in the area 
will take advantage of what’s 
been done by making use of the pool.”

    Duncan, who won Olympic gold in 1980, added: “I run a number of coaching projects aimed at 
getting youngsters into swimming.

    “There are also a number of companies, such as British Gas, who ask me to help with their swimming-related projects.

    “In some ways I’m more involved in swimming now than when I won the gold medal.

    Image courtesy of Steve Bowbrick, CC BY 2.0

  • A scene from the LEN 2009 European Short Course Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Not 100% sure who this is, but maybe Amaury Leveaux.

    Resetting his head at Istanbul 2009

  • australian-relayRead Manchester Evening News

    A furious row has broken out over £300,000 of taxpayers’ money being spent on bringing elite Australian swimmers to Manchester – as public baths in the city face being shut in budget cuts.

    The cash is being paid to Swimming Australia Ltd to cover the cost of hosting the Aussie team in Manchester for major sports events in Britain.

    As part of the deal, swimmers chose Manchester as their base ahead of last summer’s London Olympics and will return for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. […]

    Levenshulme councillor James Hennigan said: “I would much rather the money was spent on nurturing our home-grown talent rather than it being passed to the Australians. It’s disgusting that they are making this cheque out.”

    Campaigner Kirsten Hobby, from Save Levenshulme Baths, said the money should have been spent on local facilities rather than a ‘showboating’ project. […]

    The payments were also queried by former Australian swimming team coach Bill Sweetenham, who said the Aussies had done ‘extremely well’ out of the deal.

    Speaking from New Zealand, Mr Sweetenham said: “It’s common practice for countries to offer the use of facilities in kind, like free or cheap pool space, but it doesn’t usually involve money changing hands.”

  • cecil-russellRead The Star

    Cecil Russell was banned for life — twice — from coaching swimmers because of his involvement in illegal steroid and ecstasy rings. During a 1997 murder trial he admitted to helping burn the body of a dead drug associate.

    But none of it stopped him from coaching his own talented children — two competed at the 2012 London Olympics — or other swimmers. And now, involvement with him has spelled the end of the Dolphins Swim Club of Oakville.

    Swim Ontario announced Friday that it had terminated the club’s membership for allowing Russell to continue being involved despite repeated warnings and sanctions. Dolphins members will have to join new clubs to compete at sanctioned events.

  • barclay-nettlefoldRead for instance ABC News, Herald Sun, News.com.au, The Australian, SwimmingWorld, SwimVortex, Yahoo7, 9News

    Swimming Australia’s controversial year out of the pool has got worse with president Barclay Nettlefold stood down on Saturday over allegations of inappropriate behavior towards a female team consultant.

    The Swimming Australia board began to look into the comment on Friday but took further action today when another staff member came forward with a similar complaint.

    Nicole Livingstone, a spokeswoman for Swimming Australia, said in a statement outside the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre:

    “The Swimming Australia board has today made the decision to stand down President Barclay Nettlefold pending an independent investigation into allegations of inappropriate comments made to staff.

    “The Swimming Australia board was today provided with new information about a separate allegation of inappropriate comments in addition to the one that is already being handled through our member welfare policy.

    “The board takes these allegations of inappropriate comments seriously and as such has made the decision that the president steps down to enable a full and independent review to be undertaken.”