Commentary by Brent Rutemiller
PHOENIX – In what can only be called a bribe within a chess match, FINA executives tripled the prize money to lure athletes into the waters of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coastline where four years earlier, Fran Crippen succumbed to overexertion and heart failure brought on by extreme temperatures.
FINA never admitted wrong-doing in the death of Fran Crippen. In fact, the same person in charge of the open water event in Fujairah was promoted instead of reprimanded. Rules have been changed, but full contrition remains elusive.
FINA tripled the cash prize from $20,000 to $60,000 to lure athletes to the event that will be held two weeks from now on March 13. No other stop on the FINA Open Water circuit is offering a $60,000 prize. Why the sudden increase in prize money?
The motivation for FINA to raise the prize money was to dissuade athletes from attending a competing event held during the same period.
The event that FINA does not want athletes to attend is called the Crippen Cup, held in the memory of Fran Crippen. The Crippen Cup was offering $22,000 as prize money.
In a classless move, FINA obviously wanted to blow away the Crippen Cup and therefore decided to triple its original prize money. Is this the FINA leadership the swimming community wants?
What a stupid chess match this appears to be. Wouldn’t it be the ultimate chec mate if the winning athletes of the UAE event, (If any athletes show up) donates their winnings to the Crippen Elevation Foundation? We all should donate!
Evidently FINA has no problem with hot water. Their leadership has been under recent attack over many poor decisions involving their handling of drug issues, event management, World Championship Concerns, awards, and constitutional irregularities just to name a few. Inside sources have also informed Swimming World that the mere act of increasing prize money for an open water event is against FINA rules. So I ask you who rules FINA if not the FINA rules?
Here is confirmation of the prize money being offered
As I earlier commented in a previous post…it would be interesting to hear from our US representatives on the FINA board regarding this matter.
Disgusting, disgraceful, crass, insensitive, immoral … The English language is, for once, struggling to offer a suitable adjective.