• Read Sport Live

    Swimming world champion Cameron van der Burgh believes South Africaโ€™s performances at the Fina World Championships in Barcelona last week was enough to prove themselves worthy of corporate sponsorship.

    โ€œWe do perform and bring it to the table, like we brought ammunition after the Olympics,โ€ Van der Burgh at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday.

    VDB and Zorzi gold and bronze at BCN2013

  • Read BBC

    British Swimming’s head coach has called for the ending of selection trials at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge after claiming the pool is “too fast”.

    Bill Furniss said he wanted qualifying events for the Olympics and other competitions switched to other venues.

    His comments came after the Great Britain team won just one medal at the World Championships in Barcelona.

    ponds-forge

    (Image courtesy ofย Neil Ellis, CC BY-SA 3.0)

  • putin-dolphinsRead Fox News

    The secrets of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s buff physique and youthful appearance are the result of herbal health remedies and swimming regularly to combat stress, his doctor revealed Monday.

    Putin “doesn’t look his age,” the Kremlin’s top doctor Sergei Mironov told Russian weekly Itogui, chiefly because the 60-year-old is “sceptical about medication.”

    Russia’s strongman “prefers grandmother’s remedies: tea with honey, the sauna or massage” to keep him looking young, complemented by regular swimming and taking care to get enough sleep, Mironov said.

    (Image courtesy of kremlin.ru, CC BY 3.0)

  • Check out the photographer in the back of the bunch, trying to get all the officials in the picture by standing on the ledge, a 3-4 meter drop behind him. And if he should fall, it would be down on the fancy screen floor. In a crowded stadium, which my kids would think would be the most embarrassing part, if it was them and they fell. He came down again OK.

    A brave photographer at BCN2013

  • Read for instance Mail Online

    “It’s pretty clear just from the numbers of people being caught that drug use is rampant, and it’s rampant at the top end of sports.”

    “This isn’t people ranked at No 300 taking drugs to boost them up the rankings, it’s the people at the top who have used drugs to get there. I believe it’s happening across sports. It’s clear that cycling, athletics, swimming, tennis and soccer have major problems and are ruled by governing bodies in denial.”

    dick-pound

    (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

  • Read Irish Central via Arbroath

    Swimmers have been warned to stay away from a dolphin in County Clare after the animal injured another bather.

    The dolphin, known as Dusty by locals, has been involved in four such incidents in the past month in Doolin harbour.

    Authorities have repeatedly issued warnings not to swim with the female bottlenose dolphin.

    Dusty charged a woman as she left the water on Sunday night with some reports claiming she suffered back injuries.

    The Irish Times says the dolphin is believed to have struck the woman in the kidney area with its nose, knocking her over and leaving her winded.

    Dusty the Dolphin in Doolin Attack?

  • You undoubtedly remember that video from a few weeks ago where divers have a close call with HumpBack Whales. But what would happen if a whale actually swallowed you alive? Earth Unplugged investigates.

    What if you were swallowed by a whale? | Zoo La La (Ep 43) | The Travel Edit

  • The very last photo we took in Palau Sant Jordi at the 15th FINA World Championships. From left to right Birita Debes (backstroke), Rรณkur รญ Jรกkupsstovu (team leader), Pรกl Joensen (distance crawl), Bartal Hestoy (medley), Poula ร˜ssursdรณttir Mohr (butterfly) and Kristian Martin Joensen (coach). Photographer is Jon Hestoy, president of Faroe Island’s Swimming Association.

    Team FAR at BCN2013

  • Clever thinking Charlie! After running out to buy bananas and then lugging them about, there turned out to be free fruit on offer for the athletes here at the stadium, all week. Awesome!

    Tonight after the final final, I’m sure that the demand will drop drastically. At least for that kind of refreshments.

    Free fruit at BCN2013