FRANCISSWIM - WATER SPORTS: April 2020

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Executive Board of World Triathlon met on April 23

The World Triathlon Executive Board met this Thursday, via videoconference, to monitor the latest updates regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 and its impact on the triathlon family, as well as to continue discussions around preparations for the second half of the year and the next season.
The Board received updates from the Operational Working Group that meets with Continental Confederations, local organisers and National Federations to reallocate events at the end of the year, with the goal to re start the season as soon as it is safe and fair to do so for all athletes, coaches, officials and spectators.
The Financial group presented their latest actions including World Triathlon applying for subsidies offered by the Swiss, Spanish and Canadian governments, where the International Federation has its headquarters and offices.
The Executive Board also approved the 2019 financial statements, that will now be sent to the external auditors.
The Board gave the green light to the inclusion of Duathlon as an invitational sport in the next edition of The World Games, that will take place in Birmingham (US) in 2022, and discussed the status of National Federations in relation to the planning of the next World Triathlon congress, which will take place in Paris in November.

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Edmonton Grand Final to not take place in 2020

With the health and safety of our athletes and community our top priority, and based on the directive from Alberta Canada’s chief medical officer of health, the organisers of the 2020 World Triathlon Grand Final Edmonton are announcing that the Grand Final that was scheduled for August 17-23, in Edmonton, Alberta will unfortunately not take place in 2020.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw clarified this Thursday, saying: "mass gathering restrictions currently in place also apply to all summer events or festivals in Alberta. Those restrictions prohibit gatherings of more than 15 people and require people gathered in groups of fewer than 15 to maintain a distance of two metres from one another".
The Edmonton organisers, Triathlon Canada and World Triathlon want to share their deep disappointment that this event will not be able to take place as planned, despite all efforts from all the parties involved, but absolutely understand that the current global situation with the COVID-19 outbreak makes it impossible for the event to happen at this stage.
World Triathlon, along with the Edmonton Organising Committee, the City of Edmonton and all stakeholders and the community partners will continue to work closely together to find new options for the event to take place in the future, when it is safe to do so.
World Triathlon is working now with WTS and world cup organisers, Continental Confederations, as well as with National Federations and partners, to reschedule some events at the end of the current year, when is safe and fair to do so, with the aim of giving athletes from all around the world the opportunity to perform and compete as soon as possible.

International Triathlon Union

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

WTS Hamburg and Mixed Relay World Championships 2020, postponed

With the health and safety of the triathlon community being an utmost priority, and based on the directive announced by the Federal Government of Germany in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 WTS Hamburg and 2020 Hamburg Mixed Relay World Championships originally scheduled for July 11/12, 2020 can not take place as planned.
The Local Organisers, together with the German Federation of Triathlon (DTU), World Triathlon and all the local stakeholders are now working diligently to secure venues and a new race date in 2020, which will be announced as soon as possible.
In what has been a continually evolving and challenging time globally, we recognize that this decision due to the above-mentioned unforeseen events may come as a disappointment. We appreciate your patience in this very dynamic time. And we are all looking forward to seeing you all in the blue carpet in the near future!
International Triathlon Union

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

World champions Alice Tai and Simone Barlaam take over Instagram Live

World champions Alice Tai and Simone Barlaam will take over the World Para Swimming Instagram Live on Tuesday (21 April) at 8:00 PM (Central European Summer Time - CEST) to share their lockdown experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The swimmers spent part of the lockdown period together at Tai’s house in Bournemouth, Great Britain before Barlaam returned to Italy to stay with his family.
Besides keeping up with the workout routines, they have also used the time to practice their other skills. Tai plays guitar while Barlaam draws sketches.
You can see more about their lockdown routine here https://youtu.be/rtowbMLofds.
The athletes first met at the Dublin 2018 European Championships where they took four gold medals each. A year later, they won 12 golds between them at the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships.

“She did better than me in London by getting two more golds. But I got more world records there, so in Tokyo we will see,” Barlaam joked.
The Paralympic Games in Japan will be the first for the Italian athlete. Tai made her debut at Rio 2016 taking two medals (a gold and a bronze).
Fans can send questions to the swimmers through World Para Swimming Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/paraswimming/.
This is the second Instagram Live from lockdown on the World Para Swimming page. Spain’s Judit Rolo hosted the first one together with Argentina’s Daniela Gimenez.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
Photo ©Getty Images

Saturday, April 18, 2020

World Triathlon Board meets on April 16

The World Triathlon Executive Board met this Thursday, via videoconference, to continue monitoring the status and well-being of the World Triathlon family, and the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having across the triathlon community.
The Board, which since the expansion of the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, is meeting weekly, reviewed the status of all events. World Triathlon is working with the local organizing committees, Continental Confederations and National Federations to resume the calendar as soon as it is safe and fair for all athletes.
The Board also approved the cancellation of previously postponed 2020 events: the 2020 Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Triathlon World Cup, 2020 New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup, 2020 Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Paratriathlon World Cup and 2020 Besancon ITU Paratriathlon World Cup, that will not take place this year.
As part of the Communication strategy put in place by World Triathlon to promptly inform all stakeholders, the President also gave details of all the meetings with Presidents and Secretary Generals of National Federations held the day before. “To be able to talk with so many Presidents, check how they are doing and explain everything that World Triathlon is doing has been a really positive experience for all, and I sincerely hope that we can repeat this in the future. It was very inspiring and motivating for all of us”, said Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC member.
The Board also reviewed the status of some of the important projects scheduled for the upcoming months, like the rebranding of World Triathlon, sponsor contracts and the status of the electoral Congress, to be held in November in Paris. The Executive Board was also informed that the staff in the Lausanne and Madrid offices will be working on a 50% reduced basis.
With all World Triathlon events suspended until June 30, and most of the athletes staying at home, we have reinforced the digital platform TriathlonLIVE.tv, which is now offering a wide collection of videos for all subscribers, including content created by top elite athletes from all over the world while training at home. We are inviting everyone to join us on the #TriAtHome campaign also on all our social platforms, and stay tuned to TriathlonLIVE for reruns of epic races. First one, relive the Bermuda WTS 2018 events, commented by the winners, Flora Duffy and Casper Stornes, this weekend!
The International Triathlon Union

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Legends dive off Strbacki buk waterfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 2017

Red Bull Cliff Diving stars Rhiannan Iffland and Orlando Duque combined to soar off the stunning Štrbački buk waterfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Una National Park during the 2017 season.

Here is all you need to know:
- Australian star Iffland and Colombian legend Duque travelled to the European outpost in preparation for the popular Stari Most stop - the old bridge in Mostar.
- Situated on the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia border, Štrbački buk waterfall is the highest and most stunning waterfall in the Una National Park.
- Together with the waterfalls in Martin Brod, the 25m jewel was nominated for UNESCO's prestigious list of Natural World Heritage Sites.
Fotos Red Bull Content Pool

Thursday, April 16, 2020

World Triathlon President meets with National Federations Presidents to follow up on their situation

World Triathlon President and IOC member, Marisol Casado, has held a round of meetings with National Federation Presidents and Secretary Generals, to discuss with them all the latest updates on the crisis situation generated by the COVID-19 outbreak. It was also an opportunity to, first and foremost, receive direct feedback from each member Federation on the current situation in their respective countries, their athletes and coaches.
To allow all National Federations to participate in different time zones and different languages, World Triathlon organized six meetings, one for each Continental Confederation and two, one in English and one in Spanish in the case of the Americas. A total of 87 Presidents, from all the corners of the globe, were able to connect with the World Triathlon President, the Secretary General, Executive Board members and senior staff of the Federation, allowing them to stay in touch and receive direct information and feedback.

“It has been a fantastic opportunity to listen to each and every one of them, to know how they are dealing with the current situation, the impact that COVID-19 is having on their athletes, their training, their events and their members. It is in these difficult times for all of us when we have to be close to each other, share experiences, information and knowledge so that we can cope with this in the best possible way, always considering that our foremost priority is the health and safety of all the World Triathlon Family”, she explained.
One of the most asked question from different countries was related to the Olympic and Paralympic Qualification rankings and criteria, that will be approved by the IOC and the IPC in the upcoming days. Countries like Switzerland, Norway, Great Britain, Senegal, Canada, Australia and Japan, just to mention a few, expressed their total support of the principle approved by the World Triathlon Executive Board, that the rankings won’t be restarted “until we can guarantee fair conditions for all athletes”.

“It is clear that the situation is not similar in all regions, and that some countries will be able to return to their normal activities sooner than others, but it is really helpful for us all to have a broad picture to better coordinate all our efforts”, said Casado.

The Oceania Triathlon Union countries started the long day of meetings, with Australia, New Zealand and Samoa participating in the videoconference, followed by the Asian Triathlon Confederation (ASTC) meeting, with 22 countries attending. Another 11 African National Federations had the opportunity to share some time together in the early afternoon.
The most crowded meeting was the one with the European Triathlon Union countries, with 32 National Federations attending the call, and all of them sharing their experiences and activities, and suggesting some options moving forward.
The American Continent was divided into two different calls, one in English with eight countries represented, and a last one in Spanish for Latin American countries, with another seven National Federations sharing some time together.

“Despite the tremendous challenges of the virus situation around the world, there will be some positive outcomes. One of them is this concept of further connectedness through these types of video conference calls with all our members, the National Federations, and we will continue to listen to their questions, suggestions and feedback to keep improving as an organization. Together, we will come out of this crisis stronger”, said President Casado.
International Triathlon Union

Swim Ireland's Annual Women in Sport Conference Goes Online for 2020

Swim Ireland’s #WePlay Inspiring Girls in Sport Conference enters its fourth year in 2020 and in practicing what we have learnt from our #WePlay speakers in facing adversity, we have adapted to make this year an online series. This year we are delighted to announce Kinetica as sponsors with Sport Ireland continuing their support also, through their Women in Sport Initiative.
Insightful, inspiring & motivating video's will be released every Wednesday and Friday across Swim Ireland's social media channels, starting April 22^nd. The videos will include athlete panel discussions and educational pieces for athletes, coaches, parents and supporters of any age from all sports.
Ireland's elite athletes from a wide range of sports including Ellen Keane, Phil Healy, Leona Maguire, Sanita Puspure, Katie Mullen, Darragh Greene, Rhys McClenaghan and many more will come together, whilst apart, to share their experiences and advice from their sporting journey so far, including how they are keeping healthy and active during this difficult time. We will also hear from experts such as Sport Ireland Institute’s Head of Performance Nutrition Sharon Madigan.
After each episode of #WePlay Online, viewers have the opportunity to pick the brains of Ireland's sporting elite by posting questions which the athletes will then answer through a Q&A session every Friday!
Speaking about the launch Head of Communications at Swim Ireland Trish Mayon said ‘Thanks to the support of Kinetica and Sport Ireland we are delighted to be delivering the #WePlay Series straight to a screen in your home! The conference has had great engagement in the past and we were keen to deliver in 2020, despite the difficulties we are all facing. We are excited to have Kinetica on board and believe that through the collaboration #WePlay will be a huge success this year.’
Sorcha Madigan, Business President Kinetica said: ‘As an inclusive Irish brand, we are thrilled to be able to support our partners Swim Ireland on the #WePlay women in sport initiative. The online conference series is exactly the type of content that is needed during these uncertain times, to uplift and inspire a broad audience with compelling stories and insightful advice from athletes who have experienced and overcome so much.’

WATCH #WePlay Online Series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plwHGtRta_w&utm_source=PR+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=db89dd601d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_06_14_11_26_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0f0b9dcf8d-db89dd601d-229563941&mc_cid=db89dd601d&mc_eid=[UNIQID]

Further Information: Trish Mayon, Swim Ireland

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Mare Nostrum tour 2020 is cancelled

The three-meet 2020 Mare Nostrum Tour has been canceled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers announced on Instagram Tuesday. The first stop was scheduled for June 6-7 in Monaco, the second for June 10-11 in Barcelona and the third for June 13-14 in Canet-en-Roussillon.
“Unfortunately… see you in 2021,” the announcement said.
Organizers of the meet in Monaco also said that next year’s edition will be held June 12-13.
The tour was popular among swimmers from around the globe and offered significant prize money. Awards at all three stops three stops were historically given based on FINA point swims – the top swimmers at each stop are the swimmers with the highest single FINA points score for an individual event.
Guillaume DAZUN
Fédération Monégasque de Natation
Coordinator International Swimming Meeting of Monte-Carlo

FRANCISSWIM - WATER SPORTS