From the 'Telegraph' - 'bluseventy' will launch legal action against FINA in the Swiss courts!

From the Telegraph.co.uk: "...Ten swimsuits were rejected while 136, including 11 Blueseventy designs, were deemed to require modifications. Manufacturers were given 30 days to make the necessary changes.

But Blueseventy insists it has been left in the dark about what modifications need to be carried out, despite repeated requests to FINA for clarification.

Blueseventy's designs were classified as suits that "may cause significant air trapping when worn by the swimmers", despite apparently passing FINA's thickness and buoyancy tests. ..."

After witnessing how USA Swimming conducts their business and how FINA conducts theirs, I am convinced that swimming our national governing bodies need a auditing done by the IOC and/or their respective governments.

Something as simple as swimsuits at the age-group level and beyond has turned into a "Hurricane Katrina-like" debacle swallowing up age-groupers, college swimmers, Olympians and Masters Swimmers, and even FINA officials in it's path.

[Link]

It appears to me that 'USA Swimming' will "rubber-stamp" the FINA swim list!

I am openly biased in regards to the way USA Swimming conducts business. I have made this clear in several posts mostly when I talk about the TYR/Speedo/USA Swimming lawsuit or when they were tr7ing to get in bed with the Wasserman Media Group.

Now that this bias is again out in the open, I have a question for all of you: is it just me or does this press release from USA Swimming simply state that they are going to "rubber-stamp" the FINA decision with no forethought or consideration of the consequences whatsoever?

My interpretation of what I read is in the brackets. Here is the USA Swimming press release:

"... USA Swimming will follow the FINA ruling made Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland. As the World Governing Body for our sport, we rely on FINA to provide adequate testing and judgment on which suits can and cannot be used in competition.

[That is what I believe was the rubber-stamp part]

Certainly, such legislation has an effect on our more than 2,800 club teams and the athletes they represent. We want to assure our membership that we are reviewing the recent legislation and will soon provide an update on how this might affect swimming at the club level.

[That was the part where I believe they will tell the "barking dog" that they will "consider" throwing it an imaginary bone and to just trust them to do so.]

We appreciate your patience as we work to provide complete and accurate information on this topic.

[I can't think of anything witty to say but I am thinking that letter I posted was pretty darn accurate to me.]

USA Swimming has not yet taken any action with respect to the published list of approved suits and will not do so until after the Rules & Regulations Committee meeting scheduled for May 29-30. Following that meeting, a formal announcement will be made regarding how the approved list will affect USA Swimming and its rules & regulations.

[The above is a carefully written "escape clause" in case the "poop hits the fan" lawsuit-wise and USA Swimming needs to adopt a "USMS approach" to avoid getting hit by the incoming mess.]

If USA Swimming does not adopt a measured response such as the Italian Federation, The USMS, and Japanese, their management should be voted out.

Tara Kirk retires but her lawsuit against 'USA Swimming' moves forward!

Ron Judd of The Seattle Times outlines what led to Tara Kirk's retirement decision and explains thoroughly and accurately how awful USA Swimming management practices truly are, namely their handling of USA Olympic Swim Trials.

In the past year or so we have seen two lawsuits hit USA Swimming: One of them from TYR who accused USA Swimming and Coach Schubert for covertly trying to set up Speedo as the "house brand" (A preliminary ruling was handed down in the case and it wasn't pretty for USA Swimming), and the second from Tara Kirk who was denied a spot on the USA Olympic team after Jessica Hardy tested positive for Clenbuterol.

"...In most other Olympic sports, alternates are named to squads for an Olympics or world championships, just to deal with injury or this sort of eventuality. But not by USA Swimming, which made no effort to even contact Kirk, who was overseas at the time the drug test became public.

Kirk learned of the test on her own, and quickly contacted swim federation officials to ask about being named to the squad. She says both head coach Mark Schubert and Chuck Wielgus, executive director of USA Swimming, assured her they would "fix" the problem.

Only later did she discover what that meant.

"They lawyered up immediately," she says. Fixing the problem, in their eyes, apparently meant covering their own butts legally, which they did. And continue to attempt to do. ..."

According to The Seattle Times, Jessica Hardy has never fully explained how she accidentally or inadvertently ingested Clenbuterol yet not only was she allowed an incomprehensible amount of time to do so. What really troubles me is that Travis Tygart of USADA and will not return any calls to the Seattle Times to clarify. Talk about flying low and avoiding the radar:

"... In the nearly six months since the Beijing Games, Kirk has seen the organization do everything it could to distance her from her sport, and essentially brand her as a sore loser. Wielgus famously penned a snippy letter to USA Swimming staff, referring to Kirk's (apparently, in his eyes, outrageous) "demands" and once again defending USA Swimming policy as inerrant. The letter's public release set off a furor in the swimming community, much of which believes Kirk -- and other swimmers who stood to be named as replacements -- were wronged by the bungled test affair. USA Swimming even went after Kirk for its own legal fees.

[Link]

Swimming in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds and it has nothing to do with USA Swimming's management but rather it is all about Michael Phelps and perhaps even Amanda Beard. It has certainly not about Chuck Wielgus or Coach Schubert who in less than 10-months have picked up two lawsuits against the organization with a preliminary ruling in one of them that is definitely not very flattering as to how USA Swimming does business.

Swimming is at a tipping point much like cycling was when Lance Armstrong won the 'Tour de France' for the 7th time!

Michael Phelps is 'Sports Illustrated's: Sportsman of the year!' An accomplishment that is probably the sporting equivalent of the 'Nobel Prize.' He didn't cure cancer or ADDHD but he certainly inspired people to swim.

Click here for a past list of SI winners.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics were a perfect storm for our sport. There were heroes from Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, South America, Africa, China, Australia, Japan and others. Swimming had global heroes.

When Beijing was over, a person who runs a very notable swim website told me that, "This is the biggest it is ever going to get! It will never get bigger than this," referring to the improbability that swimming at this level could ever happen again. He was both elated and depressed at the same time. I think his comment is worrisome and it could be either a prediction or a fact.

Consider that China spent $45-billion; (the same amount they spend on defense in a single year), building an entire city which showcased swimming in such a masterful way that it elevated swimming to football-esque ratings. Can it get it better than this?

Swimming is at a tipping point! We will either grow exponentially or degrade. Michael Phelps is the Lance Armstrong of our sport and we need a couple more, male or female, or else it will be the latter.

When Lance Armstrong left cycling, The ratings for the Tour de France crashed, this year The Deutschland Tour (Tour of Germany) was Canceled, The Tour of Georgia (US) has been too. To be fair doping may of had something to do with it but Lance Armstrong retiring from the sport was bad for the sport and his reemergence has been GREAT for the sport.

I have no solutions to offer how we can find, create, nurture, or genetically grow another Michael Phelps or Dara Torres. Swimmers generally have a short shelf-life; (save for Dara).

USA Swimming, and perhaps even the USMS, have to create an infrastructure that will find that talent or rediscover a talent such as Dara Torres.

I wrote 'TYR' a letter and asked how they were doing?

When Nike exited the swimsuit market I made a personal decision to avoid Speedo. I was afraid that Speedo's "marriage" with USA Swimming would drive other suit makers out of the market. I have even blogged about these feelings; hence, I wrote TYR a letter asking how they were doing and though I am not allowed to publish verbatim the contents of the letter, I do have permission to tell you that the TYR R&D techs are back in the lab trying to build even better suits for 2012.

'USA Swimming' to 12-year-olds: "You're too young to wear a speedsuit!"

Amy Shipley in The Washington Post writes: "...USA Swimming's Club Development Director Pat Hogan said delegates were concerned that the pricey suits, which can cost as much as $500, would drive promising youngsters who couldn't afford them out of the sport and possibly deter proper stroke development. ..."

"We're in a position where we want to grow participation in our sport," Hogan said. "We don't need to have false barriers to participation. The cost of those high-tech swim suits, for a young swimmer, doesn't really make sense."

Added Hogan: "We've helped protect and create a level playing field in 12-and-under competition where truly the type of suit you wear doesn't make a difference. ..." [Link]

In my opinion the first paragraph doesn't wash; the one where he says, "...deter proper stroke development." You wear a speedsuit at a race not in practice because they are fragile. By then you should have a proper technique and know what how to swim.

The next paragraph translates to me as speedsuits don't make sense due to the high cost and negligible result. (Did I read that wrong?) However a sudden reversal takes place in the next paragraph whereas "tech-doping" becomes a very real concern and they have to level the playing field!

TYR, blueseventy, Arena, and I wish I could say Nike but they just threw up their hands and said, "we're so outta here!," are going to suffer as a result of this ban. USA Swimming wanted to ban speedsuits up to age of 18 but realized US Swimmers could lose in international events if not allowed to wear one! Well, is that an endorsement that suits are "tech-dope" or what?!

Consequently the aforementioned manufacturers just got their speedsuit incomes drastically cut; probably by more than 50%. The only manufacturer that can absorb that loss is Speedo, the one company that has exclusive deals; (PLURAL) with USAS! I so can't wait for that TYR lawsuit to go to trial!

Here is a statistic from: The SportsOneSource Group: "... Said Nike was a distant third in the $US200 million ($240.3m) performance swimwear marketplace - which encompasses consumer swim goods for exercise rather than leisure. Speedo holds roughly 60 per cent of the market share, TYR comes in second at 20 per cent and Nike is third at 13 per cent. ..." [Sydney Morning Herald Link]

Where is blueseventy or Arena on this food-chain? Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, once said of Netscape: "We're going to cut off their air supply." I see that happening here.

The Nile Swim club was created in 1958!

The Nile Swim Club is celebrating 50 years. Snippet from the Herald Tribune: "...It's a scene that wasn't possible more than 50 years ago in Yeadon, a Philadelphia suburb where black households wanting to join the local private pool were turned away because of their skin color.

But in 1958, a group of eight black residents banded together to create the Nile Swim Club. The trailblazing facility is now celebrating its 50th year even as USA Swimming, the sport's national governing body, tries to recruit more minorities and reduce their lopsided drowning rates. ..." [Link]

Only 2% of Americans of African ethnicity can swim. A study released in May found that 58-percent of black children could not swim safely, compared with 31 percent of whites. [Link]

USA Swimming is trying to address it but I think it comes down to which socio-economic group has the most backyard pools or access to a pool. Show me a house with a pool behind it and I will show you a house where in most cases the occupants can swim.

Shout out to Tara Kirk: I support your continued ligitigation against USA Swimming!

Clay Evans wrote me an email today asking, "Why is the blog so grumpy lately?" He also spent a full paragraph defending Amanda Beard and telling me to lighten up, but enough about his problems. ;-)

Here is an article from Lane 9 News regarding the "kangaroo arbitration hearing" that Tara Kirk suffered through so as to get herself rightfully placed on the Olympic team after Jessica Hardy tested positive for a banned substance. This whole mess HAS made me grumpy.

If Tara Kirk does possess an email which she suggested clearly states USA swimming knew about the Jessica Hardy's positive test before the FINA deadline to declare a team, then Tara Kirk should litigate with USA Swimming and get her congressman involved as well.

Here is a link to the Lane 9 News article: [Link]

No stage persona here: This is probably the real Gold Medal Mel!

Gold Medal Mel is in Beijing and in this YouTube you can hear a tinge of anxiety in his voice as he foreshadows that he may be covering topics more serious than usual.

I say this because he mentions that he is spending time with corporate types within the USOC as well as USA Swimming staff. When you start speaking to people at that level, your words have to be measured and your facts have to be solid. I find it refreshing.

Jessica Hardy has removed her name from the US Olympic team

Associated Press: "...The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Hardy's decision Friday, saying she did so "in the best interests of the team. ..." [Link]

Now that she has removed herself from the team and will not appeal her removal, what happens to the alternates? This whole episode has been a definitive fiasco in planning by both US Swimming and the US Olympic committee.

A deal must have been struck. I am NOT saying that Hardy is dirty; that is for WADA and USADA to judge, I just have a strong suspicion that a lot of people really want this to episode to go away and to do so quickly. Now, Jessica Hardy has provided an out.

After reading this from Bloomberg, this sort of smells like the deal to me: "...Hardy didn't contest the laboratory findings and was granted additional time by an American Arbitration Association panel to investigate possible causes of her positive test. While she received a two-year ban from competition, Hardy will be permitted to come back to the AAA panel to present evidence which could reduce her period of ineligibility, USADA said. ..." [Link]

Tara Kirk: “I have confirmed that USA Swimming knew about the positive drug test before the deadline to submit the names.”

The New York Times quoted her so it's credible: "...Hardy, 21, was informed of the failed drug test Monday, which was also the deadline for national governing bodies to submit their rosters for the Beijing Games. Kirk, in an exchange of e-mail messages, wrote, “I have confirmed that USA Swimming knew about the positive drug test before the deadline to submit the names.” She declined to say whom she spoke with. ..."

USA Swimming did not submit the names of Kirk and Lara Jackson, who finished third in the 50 freestyle at the trials, as alternates on its roster, to be summoned only if Hardy loses her appeal. ..." [Link]

Memo to USA Swimming: If the above is correct, the perception of ethics and morals within the organization are looking way beyond sketchy at this point. You have an anti-trade lawsuit on the horizon with TYR, you failed to follow your own rules in determining the proper line of succession if a swimmer or swimmers fail a drug test, You have bullied Floswimming which is one of the most popular swim sites on the net and finally for a government sanctioned National Governing Body you are the least transparent non-profit I have ever seen.

How often do non-profit governing bodies get sued anyway? Apparently, Tara Kirk, looks pretty amped up to perhaps make it another lawsuit too. Could this become a class action lawsuit with Kirk, Jackson, and Weir on the list?

All of this nonsense in just the past six months as well. Pathetic!

Jessica Hardy tested positive on July 4th 2008 - Hello? Was anybody home at USA Swimming?

Jessica Hardy tested "barely positive" on July 4th, or two-whole-weeks before USA Swimming had to declare their team to the IOC.

In project management textbooks words and concepts like "deliverables" and "milestones" are defined and are recommended to be acknowledged or signed off in some way.

I don't know for certain but one would think that USADA and USA Swimming were talking to each other once the initial findings were known yet no "Plan B" was in place to replace an athlete if a second test came back positive. Why? Especially if you had a deadline to declare a team to the IOC within two weeks.

Who is the genius that screwed that up?

Perhaps a two week warning notice for USA Swimming was not enough time which then raises the question that perhaps Olympic Trials were held too late in the year. If that is the case, why would they play "chicken" with such a deadline?

Consequently, due to their seemingly incompetent management or their presumption that all USA Swimming athletes would test negative, there are two athletes sitting at home right now, Tara Kirk and Lara Jackson, who legally, honestly and ethically deserved to be in Beijing in two weeks but it is looking like they won't be.

This is a serious screw-up on the part of USA Swimming and they need to take responsibility. How will they rectify this for these two swimmers?

From the New York Times: "... A person close to Hardy, who requested anonymity because he did not have all the details of the results, said he was told that she tested “barely positive” on July 4. That was the night Hardy placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle to earn a relay spot.

The positive test, the person said, was sandwiched between negative test results on July 1, after Hardy’s victory in the 100 breaststroke, and on July 6, after she finished second in the 50 freestyle behind Dara Torres. [Link]

In my opinion USA Swimming needs some sort of internal audit for it is there responsibility to deliver an effective team to represent the USA in the Olympics and that requires planning, organization and a speedy determination of who is allowed on that team. They apparently were blindsided by a situation way to obvious to not predict.

Premier Management Group makes a statement!

Evan Morgenstein is the president of a company called Premier Management Group, They are a sports talent agency who represent everybody from Amanda Beard to Erik Vendt. Obviously their job is to negotiate the best deal they can for the athletes they represent and now they refuse to do business with TYR.

Morgenstein sent out an email to SwimNews which stated: "I felt like it was time as a company to make a statement. We will continue to work with our athletes who work with TYR and make sure they get what they need, but in the future we will not be pursuing them." [Link]

He goes on to say that Erik Vendt did NOT violate his contract by wearing a Speedo at the Long Beach Grand Prix while under contract with TYR and after hearing that I sincerely think that any sophisticated reader has questions about that statement.

Morgenstein predicts a backlash from the swim community over this treatment of Vendt and he couldn't be more right about a backlash but it isn't going to be about Erik Vendt. It is going to be, and has been, all about USA Swimming for-profit deals.

One such deal with the Wasserman Media Group led to the pulling of Flowswimming's Floswimming's media credential which annoyed not just the bloggers but just about every swimmer that has ever been to Flowswimming's Floswimming.

We're going to be seeing a backlash from swim suit manufacturers too; (starting with this TYR lawsuit), who do not appreciate a non-profit, National Governing Body favoring one brand over another due to the amount of cash that particular brand pours into the USA Swimming's coffers.

For instance USAS allows no other swimsuit company save for Speedo to advertise in their Splash Magazine. Speedo has banner ads on the USAS site, a Speedo branded tip of the week article and recently we have all heard the National team coach seriously pimp Speedo while never mentioning that he was on the Speedo payroll. (See TYR Brief).

The aforementioned is a big deal for legally, a non-profit is not allowed to profit from the subject of their non-profit. That is why teachers have bake sales instead of tutoring students in exchange for cash. Hence, USA Swimming can't let this go to court. If they do then a judge will tear into their bank account and neither Congress nor FINA would like that.

I suspect this lawsuit will be settled before Beijing or else the public will see how USAS does business. Though I am hoping we do!

So, unlike Swim Network which is owned by the Wasserman Media Group, or Swim News that is very pro Speedo, I am rooting for TYR since this isn't about Speedo, it's about the for-profit tactics of USAS.

Here is a Reuters overview: [Link]

LA TIMES: 'TYR' sues 'Speedo' and 'USA Swimming', Coach Mark Schubert and Erik Vendt

UPDATE: Here is the legal brief that TYR filed: [Link]

Thank you so much to the reader who sent it!

I am going to try and get the brief and post it. I am no lawyer but I think TYR has a case. A huge one and USA Swimming will be forced to capitulate or face the consequences of their "for profit" ventures presented to the public at large. Most notably that USA Swimming is not allowed to profit from the subject of their non-profit status and yet they are doing just that.

As for Mark Shubert who is coach of the USA Team - This snippet to me illustrates an ethically severe conflict of interest on Shubert's part if this allegation is true. Especially note the part in bold. Here is a snippet: "... before the LZR debuted, the court papers said. His enthusiasm extended to what was called a mandatory team meeting at the Short Course World Championships in Manchester, England in April, telling swimmers that they would "have a two percent advantage if they wore the Speedo LZR technology," according to the lawsuit.

"Schubert also arranged to have a fitting session during the mandatory team meeting where athletes were instructed on how to fit the Speedo LZR suit and position the LZR suit to the body," the complaint said. "TYR-sponsored athletes in attendance expressed discomfort at Schubert's unsolicited comments."

Speedo has long been linked to USA Swimming, in a commercial sense, and in court papers TYR maintains that Schubert "is a paid spokesman for Speedo. ..."

( Read as a PAID spokesperson for Speedo being PAID to tell the American team in Manchester, England during a mandatory meeting that the product he is being PAID to represent is 2% better than any other suit and that they should wear it.)

As for USA Swimming: Here are three reasons why they may be acting in economic interests rather than in the interests of producing good swimmers:

1) Wasserman Media Group "Marketing deal"
2) Speedo endorsement deal - Speedo Tip of the Week
3) Spanking Floswimming for actually promoting swimming.

As for Erik Vendt: If you promise to wear a suit in exchange for a salary; you wear it. Embarrassing your sponsor not only tarnishes their name, but makes you a potentially fatal brand investment down the line. Also, there is that breech of contract thingy!

Here is a link to Lisa Dillman's article at the L.A. Times: [Link]

Photo above came from non-governmental body, non-profit, USA Swimming.org

USA Today: More than half of black and Hispanic kids can't swim

USA Swimming did the study and here is the snippet from the report: "...COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A national, first-of-its kind survey found that approximately six out of 10 African-American children are unable to swim, nearly twice as many as their Caucasian counterparts. Similarly, 56% of Hispanic and Latino children are unable to swim. ..." [Link]

From USA Today: "...The survey found that "children do not buy in to the stereotype that minorities don’t or can’t swim. When asked whether they believed swimming was “just for white people,” over two-thirds of African-American and Hispanic/Latino children aged six to 16 disagreed (68% and 71% respectively), more than 40% of each group disagreed strongly. ..." [Link]

Caption to the photo: (Olympic freestyle swimmer Cullen Jones teaching Tavion Traynham and five other 8-year-olds at a YMCA in Omaha, Neb., in March. Photo by Daniel Johnson via AP.)

Follow up on USA Swimming revoking 'Flowswimming's' media credential

If you would like to voice your opinion regarding the revoking of Flowswimming's USA Swimming media credential, a fellow SCAQ swimmer sent me this USAS email address: jfabos@usaswimming.org.

Flowswimming is one of the finest swim video sites on the net but I am not optimistic as to the outcome of any protest but please voice your opinion anyway.

There is so much money involved between the Wasserman Media Group and USA Swimming that I suspect self-interested parties will not back down one bit. One rumor I heard six months ago was that enormous 6-figure commissions were paid out or will be paid out when the deal is signed.

This is the new culture we are in; if you don't believe me, just look at the NCAA. It's awash in media deal payoffs and exploitation of unpaid athletic talent. USA Swimming appears to be following their lead.

Floswimming gtes angry letter from USA Swimming

UPDATE: Post edited to remove hyperbole. Never post something in a hurry.

Floswimming lost it's USA Swimming swim meet credentials because Grant videoed part of a meet thereby breaking broadcast rules. Here is a letter USA Swimming sent him. [Link]

'Swim News' has entered the building in a big way

Craig Lord at Swim News is back in the links column. His recent interview with Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director of USA Swimming was epic. He got Mr. Wielgus to admit that USA Swimming is entering into a for-profit model with the Wasserman Media Group despite that USA Swimming is a non-profit governmental body. That Timed Finals has been so bad at crediting sources that they will summarily rebrand the site; or relaunch it with a new name and bring in a new publisher. Also included is info regarding a former marketing chief at USA Swimming but now a "consultant" for the organization is somehow tied to this deal financially.

This interview has brought more to light regarding the USA Swimming/Wasserman Media Group deal than any other article or editorial and I thank Craig Lord for that.

Here is a link to his interview: [Link]

My take: If USA Swimming wants to become a for-profit agency like the NFL; (Mr. Wielgus does site the NFL as a potential model for news and programming), then swimmers connected to the USA Swimming organization should start getting paid and start sharing in the profits much like the NFL players do.

There are no swim videos on 'Sportnet' yet USA Swimming is listed as one of their "properties"

Last spring USA Swimming cut a marketing deal with the Wasserman Media Group to bring USA Swimming to market. Since then what has WMG accomplished for swimming at large?

1. WMG purchased the swim site Timed Finals but I see no equity there for USA Swimming. Rumors are they are going to rebrand it but our sport needs visual exposure not rewritten, "drive by," blog posts with just a spattering of audio content. Swimming needs to be seen and experienced not talked about.

2. WMG set up a website called SportNet to showcase WMG 'properties' such as USA Swimming yet as of today there are no swimming videos on the site whatsoever.

3. The only press release Wasserman has distributed through Sportnet about USA Swimming was regarding their marketing deal with them from last spring. I did a Google News keyword search on both Sportnet and the Wasserman Media Group and there was nothing there promoting USA Swimming.

Ultimately, I am seeing no swim marketing or content at Sportnet or any other WMG vehicles such as their cable network and this includes press releases, news items or viral marketing campaigns of any sort. Hence, if USA Swimming is the proverbial 'little piggy' here, that little piggy certainly didn't make it to market. Instead, that little piggy stayed home.

I think Swimming World, WCSN, You Tube, the Australian press, and even the fans in the stands are doing a far better job marketing USA Swimming than WMG has. Subsequently these aforementioned outlets should be considered their marketing partners next time.

'Sportsnet' took 'Timed Finals' off their link list!

I went to Sportnet.com to see if I could find some swim videos; I found some here: Link, which I cannot embed them. However, something odd happened when I visited the site this morning versus when I visited the site tonight.

Here is some background: The Wasserman Group owns Sportnet, they are also the same people that have a marketing deal with USA swimming. This is what surprised me: Lo and behold, this morning they listed TF or Timed Finals as one of their properties; meaning they own them. However, now it is gone!

What also is a bit weird is that they list USA Swimming as one of their properties but how can USA Swimming be a property of a corporation when it is suppose to be a non-profit or non-governmental body? Freudian slip or bad grammar.

I cannot provide a photo because I am afraid they will send legal ninjas after me like they did to the people that posted that YouTube video that got removed. Reference: [Link]