OPEN WATER UPDATES continued

The last week has been full of movement in Open Water Swimming on the National and International Level. Since the release recommendations from the USA Swimming Open Water Review Committee three major headlines have been posted with regards to Open Water Safety.

1. USA Swimming BOD votes to Relocate US Nationals to Fort Lauderdale

4/22/2011 - The 2011 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships have been relocated from Fort Myers, Fla., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 10k race will be held June 10 and the 5k race will remain on June 12. The USA Swimming Board of Directors approved this change in venue.

The change in venue is designed to provide the safest possible environment for the event, and is in keeping with recommendations made by the Open Water Commission, which included the recommendation that races exceeding 5K should not be held in water above 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Because the water temperature in Fort Myers could exceed that temperature, the decision was made to move the event now, rather than potentially having to cancel the race on or near the day.

2. FINA Releases Report

Francis Crippen, a long distance swimmer from the United States of America (USA) passed away during the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup race that took place in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday 23 October 2010.

In order to better understand the circumstances surrounding the tragic accident, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) appointed a Task Force to address all the issues related to the death of open water swimmer Francis Crippen.


3. OPEN WATER GRAND PRIX 2011: Sumidero Canyon Event cancelled

26 April 2011 - Please be informed that the FINA Executive has decided to cancel the Sumidero Canyon Event of the 2011 FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix Series scheduled for May 7, 2011.

This decision has been reached following the recommendation of the FINA Sports Medicine Committee on the water quality in order to ensure the Health and Safety of the FINA open water swimmers.