Despite a published report without a reference to a source, it was stated that the supposed "shiny suits" revenue pouring back into the sport did nothing to enhance this past FINA World Championships. This statement was easy to disprove.
According to the FINA site, the games were a stunning success for FINA and had more participants competing than any other FINA championship.
Participation generally means sponsorship and sponsored they were. About 16% more athletes attended than they did in Australia. In two years we will have our answer as to the impact of tech suits on our sport and and I suspect anemic growth.
From the FINA website:
With 10 days for the start of the 13th FINA World Championships, to be held in Rome (ITA) from July 17-August 2, 2009 it is confirmed that this edition of the competition will be highlighted by a record of participation.
According to the last figures received, 2556 athletes from 185 countries will be present at the Foro Italico venue (facilities for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo and Synchronised Swimming) and Ostia Beach (Open Water Swimming).
By disciplines, the numbers are the following:
- SWIMMING – 1470 athletes from 164 countries
- DIVING – 200 athletes from 43 countries
- WATER POLO – 416 athletes from 21 countries
- SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING – 269 athletes from 41 countries
- OPEN WATER SWIMMING – 152 athletes from 39 countries
The previous record of participation was established in the previous edition of these championships, in 2007 in Melbourne (AUS). In Australia, 2158 athletes from 167 nations took part in the competition.
[Link]
Very nicely done to both FINA & Italy!
7 comments:
Tony,
The shiny suit battle is done. It's over. They are no longer part of the sport. A majority voted and they voted against them, at every level.
Maybe time to give it rest here on your blog. Don't become a "one-trick-pony". Don't become the flip-side of "He Who Must Not Be Named".
Nothing wrong with continuing to point out that there was much good that came from the suits. I think we're all allowed to be a bit reminiscent, especially since the shiny suit battle is NOT done.
Did you happen to watch the World Cup from last week? There are still WRs being set in "the suits".
The Chinese women are crushing WRs set from World Champs... still in the suits. Read the news from the past couple days... Masters, Elite, and everyone else who can still swim in the suits... are swimming in the suits.
There are a few more months to go with the suits. The elites and masters will be clamoring to break records before they go extinct.
The "tech suit" battle is done... for now.
Glenn said it better than I could. I am having a ball with the SCM championships. I love all this excitement- the Australian/USA hegemony was temporarily suspended and it has been a lot of fun.
In the next three years we will see if FINA was right in banning tech suits or if FINA was wrong and positive or negative growth will be our answer.
My benchmarks will be memberships, ratings, attendance, revenue!
Wouldn't be so quick to hang my hat on the Chinese performances...
Something very nasty is going on there, in this writer's opinion. Those are astounding drops that are very, very suspicious, suits or no.
Hate to say it but, to me, the onus is on the Chinese to prove their athletes are clean, not the inverse. History and all...
Hey Tony:
Don't you think the "success" is due largely in part to the increased number of "professional" swimmers world wide.
In previous post Olympic years, most of the greats had retired, or at least were in minimal training mode.
It probably is many factors such as the standard of living across the globe is rising.
However, the word professional denotes sponsorship.
Let's see how big Speeedo and TYR's team is in 2012, or let's hear what sports agents feel about the whole suit mess. Have their incomes gone down?
A number of the Chinese are probably doping but so are a number of the Americans, Europeans and Australians. :)
There are histories of doping amongst them (especially the US), if not overwhelmingly in swimming, and equally "suspicious" big drops in times or connections amongst top athletes.
I think it's easy and patriotic to implicitly think your country is cleaner because you are immersed in it and familiar with it.
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