The Daily Soak – Swim News In Brief
If you have a snippet of news for us, let us know: editorial@swimmingworld.com
Tuesday 12 May
Payne Voices Concerns Over Resumption Of Open Water Swimming In England
Olympic 10km silver medallist Keri-anne Payne has questioned whether now is the time to get back into the open water after government guidelines indicated that could shortly be the case in England.
England’s open-water swimmers are hopeful they will be allowed back into seas, lakes and rivers soon under government guidelines published on Monday that allow sportsmen and women to train with a person from outside their household provided they keep two metres apart.
A statement published by Swim England said:
“Our interpretation is that open-water swimming is considered a form of outdoor activity within the new guidelines coming into force from Wednesday (May 13).
“We recognise this will be welcomed by our open-water community. However, we are advising that only competent and experienced open-water swimmers use this form of exercise, whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines.”
The governing body also advised that only competent and experienced open water swimmers to take the plunge – a sentiment echoed by double world champion who went one step further to ask even those swimmers to question whether it is worth it.
Keri-anne Payne: Photo Courtesy: Sylvia Stanley
In a film on her Facebook page, she said:
“My passion is to get people into the open water and I would absolutely love to be able to do that.
“But right now there are just still so many risks involved with it.
“If you are not a competent open water swimmer now is not the time to learn how to do that.
“The open water is very different and there are a lot more risks. The water temperature being quite cold, you might risk yourself getting cold water shock and not know how to deal with that scenario.
“If you are thinking about doing open water swimming, make sure you check the websites like the RLSS, the RLNI, British Triathlon, the STA and Swim England to check what the current advice is.
“What I would say is, if you’re not a competent open water swimmer, now is not the time to learn how to do it.
“If you are a competent open water swimmer, it is worth it?”
Asian Swimming Championships Pushed Back To 2021
The Asian Swimming Championships, which were due to be held in the Philippines in December 2020, have been postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Manila Standard reports.
The championships are held every four years and feature the likes of China, Japan and South Korea among its line-up alongside lesser-decorated swimming nations including Indonesia, Malaysia and Macau.
The Aquatics Centre in New Clark City, Capas, was initially due to stage the competition from 7-17 November but the Asian Swimming Federation (ASF) have responded to requests for it to be pushed back because of COVID-19.
“The ASF has replied early this week and they have agreed to postpone it next year,” Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI) President Lailani Velasco was quoted as saying in the Manila Standard.
The news outlet also reported that New Clark City Athletes’ Village is a temporary quarantine facility for overseas Filipino workers who are suspected of having COVID-19.
The last Asian Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2016 where Park Tae-Hwan – three months after being allowed to compete at Rio 2016 despite his positive drug test for testosterone – enjoyed a clean sweep of all the freestyle events from 100 to 1500m.
Rikako Ikee, who was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019, won three individual gold medals aged 16.
FINA Has No Plans To Shift World S/C Championships, Says Salnikov
Vladimir Salnikov Photo Courtesy: Maria Dobysheva
FINA has no plans to cancel the World Short-Course Championships set for Abu Dhabi from December 15-20 this year despite having had to move its 2021 World Championships to May 2022 as part of major calendar upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s the word from Vladimir Salnikov, the head of the Russian swimming federation and a member of the ruling FINA Bureau member, who told RSport:
“So far, the World Championships will be held in December, but it is clear that in the current situation everyone is watching how events will develop and what the epidemiological situation will be in the coming months.”
The United Arab Emirates, where American swimmer Fran Crippen lost his life in a FINA World Cup event in October 2010, returned to hosting FINA events in 2013 after two inquiries found major safety and organisational problems impacted events at the Fujairah marathon race that took place in waters over 32C on a day when air temperatures soared to over 40C and led to several swimmers having to be taken to hospital with heat-related complaints.
The UAE has reported 19,661 COVID-19 infections and 203 deaths, according to official coronavirus pandemic statistics.
Some Sports Facilities Can Open Under Controlled Conditions In Arizona
Professional sports, some pools and gyms can reopen in Arizona on May 15 when the state’s stay-at-home order ends, Governor Doug Ducey announced today. Said Ducey:
“This is a green light to continue going forward on the way out of this pandemic. This is not a green light to speed. This is a green light to proceed. And we’re going to proceed with caution.”
Jing En To Remain At Purdue University With Tokyo Still The Goal
Malaysian 100m breaststroke record holder Phee Jing En is to continue training at Purdue University with the postponed Tokyo Olympics in her sights.
Jing En graduated last week with a degree in business and management and will now remain in Indiana as she looks to qualify for the Games which have been rescheduled for July 2021.
The 22-year-old will have to equal or better her national record of 1:08.05 to book her spot for the 100m breaststroke, well inside the B qualification time of 1:09.08.
She has, though, not been in the water for a month because of the closure of facilities as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
She told the New Straits Times:
“My plan was initially to continue training at Purdue until the Japan Open in June and then the Olympics, but it’s not going happen now.
“I also doubt there are any training facilities that are open, so it’s going to be hard to plan too far ahead into the future.
“I will keep on working hard and hope it would be enough to qualify for Tokyo.”
Jing En is also in the precarious position of having no funding as her scholarship has run out so she is seeking means of covering her costs.
“I’ve yet to have that sorted out as I’m not quite sure where to start looking, although I’ve also asked the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) for help.”