Saturday Sep 23 08:56 AEST
AP - Australia and the United States, the two biggest nations in world swimming, said the schedule presented by FINA at its first global conference was too crowded.
The governing body of world swimming confirmed its major championships - worlds, youth and the world cup - until 2011. But the 2008 Beijing Olympics has caused the calendar to become congested.
Australian swimming federation president Neil Martin wants the short-course championships - scheduled for 2008 and held over 25 metres- to be struck off the calendar.
“FINA wants to develop the stars of swimming to promote them by having them go to all the events,” Martin said.
“That’s great, but the stars just won’t go if the schedule doesn’t work.”
USA Swimming president Jim Wood said the calendar has always been a little too crowded: “We know its important for FINA to market its brand, but maybe we don’t need as many events as the rest of the world does because of our collegiate-level competitions.”
Wood agreed with the synchronisation and marketing of events, but feared that it could be at the swimmers’ expense.
“I’m all for building the FINA brand and the sport as long as the No.1 priority is focusing on athletes and giving them the opportunity to reach their goals,” he said.
FINA president Mustapha Larfaoui acknowledged the need to avoid “overlapping between the major international competitions,” but said that “this conference was the ideal way to meet and discuss the calendar with our partners.”
The request by American television network NBC to move the swimming finals at the 2008 Games from the evening to the morning to accommodate prime-time in the United States was also discussed.
“FINA’s position is clear - we prefer to have the meet in the evenings. But the final decision will be made by the IOC. We must wait to see what they decide,” executive director Cornel Marculescu said.
The finals at the world championships in Melbourne next year will be held at night, but Martin regrettably “doesn’t think” that will happen at Beijing.
“The physiological evidence proves the likelihood of world records and the best performances in the evening,” Martin said. “Sports science proves that there would be a better level of performance.”
