The positive test of Brazilian swimmer Cesar Cielo is a disaster for the sport, according to triple Olympic Champion Pieter van den Hoogenband. “This is terrible”, says Pieter, “swimming is at the Olympics on par with athletics”. “The sport is so popular because it was clean, the swimming had no doping affairs. Disastrous, that this happens with a big name.” Source Hollandswimming, probably clumsily translated by me and Google Translate.
FINA has awarded the next two World Championships hosting duties to Kazan, Russia and Guadalajara, Mexico, leaving out Hong Kong of the three cities which had made the final three to be named host of the events. Read SwimmingWorld Magazine.
Laure Manaudou returned to competitive swimming today with a 25.93 in the Athens, Georgia 2011 Speedo Championship Series 50 free prelims. This is a personal best time ever according to Speed Endurance’s Tom Willdridge. Links to psych sheets and live results here on Nick Brunelli’s blog.
Sarah Eberhardt, 13, from Germany, was on holiday with her father at the resort town of Slatni Pjassazi on the Black Sea in Bulgaria, when she was sucked to her death by a swimming pool’s circulation pump after hotel workers forgot to place a safety grille over it.
‘The pump was so strong that as she swam it had the effect of a whirlpool and pulled her under and sucked her in,’ said a police spokesman. ‘It was a terrible way to die.
Read more here on MailOnline
FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu insists that they have the greatest respect for Brazilian sprint star Cesar Cielo and the others despite calling for a doping ban that threatens his Olympic chances.
“Cielo is one of the greatest swimmers we have and we respect him very much and we respect the Brazilian swimming federation for all their efforts,†Marculescu told reporters.
“Nevertheless, the decision of the doping panel of the Brazilian federation has been considered as not providing all the necessary information and for that reason an appeal has been presented,†he added.
Marculescu says he does not know that the decision will be of the three CAS jurders, but adds: “Whatever decision is going to be, we have to respect that.” Read more here on Times Live.
One man training to be a Navy SEAL was dead and a off-duty lifeguard in grave condition yesterday after trying to do breath-holding exercises in a public pool in Staten Island, practicing techniques similar to those used in military training. About 20 people were swimming in the pool staffed with 2 lifeguards and 5 other staff members, when the two men were found in 3 feet of water in a corner of the Lyons Pool in Tompkinsville. Via NY Daily News and The Wall Street Journal.
A gem here on Google Video, almost 40 minutes of historical US swimming video footage, as seen through Australian eyes. “Swimming the American Wayâ€, a film by Forbes and Ursula Carlile, from when they in 1965 toured North America and visited legendary Doc Counsilman at the Indiana University.
Who needs a $6000 ice bath when you can rock the $50 Disney version like @graemeswim #ingenuity http://lockerz.com/s/120012882less than a minute ago via Echofon 
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Roland Schoeman
Rolandschoeman
Singapore is definitely a hotspot for world class swim training at the moment, with the national teams of Australia, Sweden, South Africa, Canada, Iceland and our own Pál Joensen from the Faroe Islands preparing there for the 14th FINA World Swimming Championships. Here is a nice video from the Canadian camp.
