The sport is on the move – positively and progresively.
As the sport of open water swimming grows at a rate faster than one new event per day somewhere in the world, there is an increased need for greater safety, enhanced promotion, improved officiating, better communications and immediate reporting of race results.
For many years, the sport has quietly and continually seen its enthusiasm levels and participation numbers explode. Largely occurring outside the radar of the sports media, the enthusiasm and participation levels have progressed far ahead of the actual day-to-day administration of the sport because the sport is so decentralized and under-reported.
But with new rules by FINA in place and recommendations by USA Swimming now released, combined with recently approved regulations and programs by many different governing bodies including Australia (New South Wales), Catalina Channel Swimming Federation and U.S. Masters Swimming, these changes are all helpful and enable the entire ecosystem of open water swimming to enhance the protection and enjoyment of its swimmers.
The Daily News of Open Water Swimming believes everything in the sport will see an increased pace of improvement and exposure. At the same time, change requires time. Issues about safety, finances and administration will continue to be raised while different issues will be resolved in different ways in different parts of the world. But the sharing of these issues and resolutions is easier with mobile and Internet communications. Knowledge will be shared as has always been the spirit in the open water swimming world.
The sport will undergo an ongoing process where swimmers, coaches, parents, officials and administrators worldwide become more experienced and engaged. Their increased body of knowledge and awareness will enable educated discussions to morph into reasonable decisions. Together, everyone will collectively make the sport more enjoyable, safer and more well-understood as new rules begin to be promulgated worldwide and standards become respected.
Criticisms and complaints will, hopefully, be transformed into camaraderie and cooperation – and the sport will be better off for everyone involved.
Copyright © 2011 by World Open Water Swimming Association