Swimmer's Daily

  • North Korea said Tuesday it will not participate in the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics to protect its athletes against the coronavirus pandemic, dashing South Korea’s hopes to use the games to kickstart the stalled peace process with Pyongyang.

    The decision was made during a general assembly meeting of the North’s Olympic Committee held in Pyongyang on March 25, according to Sports in the DPRK Korea, a website on sports affairs in North Korea.

    “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games during the general assembly to protect our athletes from the global health crisis situation related to the coronavirus as proposed by committee members,” the website said.

    Read Yonhap News Agency

  • 2020 was not the year we had hoped for. Many swimmers missed out on opportunities – our state squads included. Congratulations to the members of our 2020 State Squads. We see your hard work and recognise your commitment.

  • Swimming New Zealand is returning to Auckland again for the 2021 Aon New Zealand Swimming Championships. This event will be a key part of the Olympic and Paralympic qualification process, as our athletes build toward Tokyo, whilst the best swimmers from around the country converging on Auckland to battle it out for the title of national champion.

    Day 1 – Session 1: Timed Finals
    Men’s 800m Freestyle
    Women’s 1500m Freestyle

  • Why do swimming pools ask you to shower before entering the water?

    Swimming pools contain a dilute amount of chlorine that acts as a disinfectant, killing bacteria like salmonella and E.coli. Our sweat reacts with chlorine to form chloramine, a compound known to cause skin irritation and itchiness, especially in those with eczema.

    Dr Lucinda Tan from the National Skin Centre adds that exposure to the chemical is also known to cause dry hair, itchy eyes and throat irritation.

    For more on the chlorine levels in our pools, what chloramines are and why we should be concerned, and how swimmers’ personal hygiene practices are important to keeping the pools clean, watch the full episode of #TalkingPoint​: How Clean Are Our Public Pools? https://cna.asia/2OcqMsf

  • Miles Laflin (thep00lguy) is a professional pool engineer based in the UK. He has gone viral on TikTok and YouTube for his satisfying pool cleaning videos. Miles shows how he cleans the dirtiest pool he’s ever worked on from start to finish.

  • Tokyo 2020 organizers plan to hold discussions with the International Swimming Federation (FINA) this week, a senior official said, after the federation said it was reviewing whether to hold the Olympics diving qualification event scheduled for this month.

    “We are aware that they intend to cancel. On the other hand, we are still trying to confirm the details and we need to have further discussions with them,” Yasuo Mori, deputy executive director for the Tokyo 2020 Games Operations Bureau, said on Sunday.

    “We want to hold talks with them about such details,” he told an online briefing after a weekend test event for wheelchair rugby.

    Cancellation would be a setback for Tokyo organizers after they just restarted test events for the first time in over a year and need to test COVID-19 countermeasures for participants at venues.

    Media reports said FINA had decided to cancel the April 18-23 final qualification round, which is also an official test event for the Games, which were postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The BBC, citing a letter from FINA to national federations, said the event was canceled because the organizers’ planned COVID-19 precautions “will not properly ensure” the safety of athletes.

    Read Reuters
    body of water across bridge during nighttime
    Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels.com

  • A woman allegedly armed with a gun was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff with Los Angeles police Friday, during which officers opened fire and the suspect evaded police by swimming in a lake.

    See ABC News

  • Maybe you’re wondering: when is the right time to open up my swimming pool? Well, it’s better to open sooner rather than later. Otherwise, algae could start growing underneath your winter cover. So here’s how to know when to open your pool based on the weather in your area.

  • Russian teammates Vladimir Morozov and Andrei Minakov had a very tight race in the men’s 100m freestyle, going head-to-head in both legs of the 2020 FINA Champions Swim Series in China.