Swimmer's Daily

  • Read for instance this blog on Slate

    On Monday, the Russian Interior Ministry confirmed what other Russian officials have been saying for weeks: Openly gay people attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, including athletes, will be arrested under the countryโ€™s draconian new anti-gay law. That law, you might recall, prohibits โ€œhomosexual propagandaโ€ and is designed to discourage any kind of support for gay rights or even gay people.

    The International Olympic Committeeโ€™s response to gay people? We mean it: Stay in the closet.

    According to an IOC spokesperson, the Olympics arenโ€™t the place for โ€œproactive political or religious demonstration,โ€ anyway. Just read the fine print: Rule 50 of the Olympic charter declares that โ€œno kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.โ€ By the IOCโ€™s logic, gay people should be keeping quiet about their sexuality no matter what, in accordance with Rule 50. If they speak out and get arrested under Russian lawโ€”well, itโ€™s not the IOCโ€™s fault that they just couldnโ€™t keep their mouths shut.

    The British Athletes Commission expresses concern for athletes aiming for Sochi 2014.

    Sochi Olympics Gay Ban: Russian authorities face backlash over anti-Gay law enforcement at Olympics

    Stephen Fry has a ‘brainchild’, but I guess you could be arrested for that

    Stephen Fry: Gay solidarity needed at Russian winter Olympics

    George Takei has an idea also

  • That is one tame Beluga Whale

    Beluga Whale Tries To Eat GoPro Camera

  • Swim competition 5k and 1.k at the Kinneretย lake

    Open Water Maccabiah 2013

  • The Kazan Russia 2015 stand in the Planet Water Village at the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. Complete with a “Best Photo Position” marker from which the pool photo illusion on the tiles in front worked the best. They mean business!

    Kazan Russia 2015 stand in Barcelona

  • Frankly, I don’t approve, as they seem to ignore safety precautions when jumping 7, 15, 16 and even 25 meters into the cold and untamed Atlantic. We’re talking about remote places in the Faroe Islands, which it would take the ambulance a good while to get to.

    But the videos are nice.

    Cliff Jumping and Gymnastics in the Faroe Islands (Viรฐ Gjรณgv)

    Cliff Jumping – Faroe Islands: Gaฬsadalur

    Cliff jumping in Faroe Islands – Syรฐradalur (15m)

  • Watch your back !Children who swim are demonstrating more advanced cognitive and physical abilities than other children, according to world-leading research led by Griffith University.

    The findings of a four-year study by the Griffith Institute for Educational Research, Laurie Lawrence’s Kids Alive Swim Program and Swim Australia have surpassed expectations and indicate that swimming children have an advantage when starting school.

    Swimming a smart move for kids

    Lead researcher Professor Robyn Jorgensen said swimming children were anywhere from six to 15 months ahead of the normal population when it came to cognitive skills, problem solving in mathematics, counting, language and following instructions.

    Researchers surveyed parents of 7000 children aged five years old and under from Australia, New Zealand and the US.

    They are lacking in ball-handling skills, though. I (Rรณkur) say ‘more waterpolo!’ :-P

  • “In this Fast Swimming Techniques Video Gary Hall Sr reveals the way The Race Club teaches Breaststroke. We believe that the Swimmer must get into a full streamline after each narrow kick in order to minimize frontal drag and maximize distance per stroke. Aaron Greenberg demonstrates one of the best examples of Breaststroke the Race Club style.”

  • SwimVortex has the story:

    Myrtha Pools has denied that the circulation in the temporary facility installed at the Palau Sant Jordi for the 15th FINA World Championships could have made one side of the pool “faster” than the other.

    A spokesman for Myrtha told SwimVortex.com: “While it is difficult to argue against the facts with regards to the times, we are confident that there were no currents in the pool that contributed to the anomaly.”

    palau-sant-jordi

    According to the SwimVortex article, Myrtha arranged circulation tests on day 3 and 6, in which plastic bottles filled to varying degrees with water were floated in various lanes in the empty pool. Video images show almost no movement, and in fact most of the small movement going in the opposite direction to the suggested current.

    Myrtha adds that this was essentially the same system as used in Montreal and Shanghai, where there were no time anomalies. A system called ‘strahlenturbulenz’, as demonstrated in the video below.

    Recirculation of water: Strahlenturbulenz System – Myrtha Pools

  • Relay teams preparing themselves for the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle final at the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. In focus the Belgium team on lane 2 led by Glenn Surgeloose (tattoo visible on his chest), Great Britain on lane 1 and Japan on lane 3 with Kosuke Hagino bowing before stepping up on the start block. See the result list here.

    Before the BCN2013 men's 4x200 free (minitature photo)