The Week That Was: FINA Schedules 2020 World Cup to Clash With ISL

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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The FINA World Cup is coming to a close next week as Cate Campbell and Vladimir Morozov lead the point standings heading into the final meet next week in Doha. Campbell has been on fire at the World Cup this year as she swam a sub-53 100 free for the 44th time in her career, with all of those swims happening in the last six years. Campbell will be a favorite to win the Olympic gold medal next year but will have her hands full with reigning Olympic champion Simone Manuel and world record holder Sarah Sjostrom.

In political news, FINA announced the World Cup will go on, despite calls for the meet to be scrapped, and all six stops of the meet are scheduled to clash with next year’s International Swimming League (albeit temporary) schedule. FINA has made it clear they will not count any world records set in ISL meets this year as long as they weren’t during the same weekend as a FINA sponsored meet. Minna Atherton set a world record earlier this month at an ISL meet in Budapest since there was no World Cup meet that weekend. With FINA putting all the World Cup meets on the same weekends as ISL meets next year, this will cause more discord with the two organizations.

Read more of the five biggest stories below in the week that was.

The Week That Was #5: West Virginia Opens New Natatorium With State Games

Photo Courtesy: West Virginia Athletics

Press release submitted by West Virginia Swimming and Diving

In the first official meet at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park, the West Virginia swimming and diving teams started strong and never looked back on the opening night of the West Virginia State Games on Friday night in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers combined to win 17 of 18 events in the first session, tallying a total of 1,557.5 team points, with the men contributing 908.50 and the women grabbing 649.

RESULTS

“This was a really exciting night,” West Virginia swimming and diving coach Vic Riggs said. “I thought our energy and racing was very good. To finally be able to race in our new home was great. As a team, we swam really well, and we’ll look to continue that tomorrow.”

#4: NCAA to Consider Allowing Athletes to Earn Money While in College

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Craig Lord – Swimming World Editor-in-Chief

The NCAA today cleared the way for college athletes to begin profiting from their sports careers and any profile built from their success and fame.

In a landmark decision that will dramatically alter college sports and its economics, and with them one of the bedrocks of the greatest success stories in sports history – the dominance of the USA in swimming – the NCAA’s governing board directed its three divisions to immediately consider changing the rules governing benefits for athletes.

Changes must be made by no later than January 2021, the board stated.

The move coincides with growing pressure from legislators: last month, California passed a law requiring schools in the state to allow college athletes to earn endorsement money.

#3: Cate Campbell Swims 100 Free Under 53 Seconds For 44th Time

Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

By Andy Ross

Australia’s Cate Campbell continued her assault of the World Cup this fall with a 52.76 in the 100 free in Kazan. She currently leads the World Cup points standings through six of the seven meets as she swam under 53 seconds in the 100 free LCM for the 44th time in the last six years, including 10 this year alone. Campbell’s all-time best came last year at the Pan Pacs when she swam a 52.03, the second fastest time ever behind only Sarah Sjostrom (51.71, 2017).

Despite swimming under 53 so many times, Campbell has one gold medal at Olympic and World level: she was World champion in 2013. Come the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she will be a 28-year-old in search of the ultimate prize.

World Cup Rankings (Women) Through Six Stops:

Cate Campbell, AUS, 300pts
Katinka Hosszu, HUN, 276pts
Michelle Coleman, SWE, 153pts
Zsuzsanna Jakabos, HUN, 141pts
Kira Toussaint, NED, 120pts
Emily Seebohm, AUS, 120pts

#2: RUSADA Responds to Latest Inquiries That It Manipulated Test Samples

Testing the system and the World Anti-Doping Code

By Craig Lord, Swimming World Editor-in-Chief

Russian authorities have provided more responses to questions from the World Anti-Doping Agency and experts forensic and investigative in the latest ‘data manipulation’ inquiry.

The ‘independent’ Compliance Group’ working on the case is set to meet and make recommendations to WADA sometime in late November, the anti-doping agency indicates in its latest update.

WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department (I&I) and forensic experts working alongside the WADA sent a list of detailed and technical questions and follow-up questions to the Russian authorities this month after evidence of manipulation of test samples at the Moscow anti-doping laboratory was unearthed.

The Week That Was #1: FINA Schedules 2020 World Cup to Clash With ISL

2018 World Cup Winner Sarah Sjostrom and Vladimir Morozov; Photo Courtesy: FINA

By Craig Lord, Swimming World Editor-in-Chief

FINA, the international swimming federation, has announced its intentions to keep its World Cup alive at the traditional time of year while knowing that the bulk of the best swimmers in the world will be racing elsewhere in International swimming League competition.

The 2020 Cup will include six meets from September to November next year and overlaps the dates already pencilled in for the League.

This inaugural League season has been layered over Cup events and been marked by a FINA decision that where a clash of dates exists, no swims or records in the League will be recognized officially.

The 2020 FINA Swimming World Cup calendar:

Singapore (SGP) – September 4-6
Jinan (CHN) – September 10-12
Kazan (RUS) – October 2-4
Doha (QAT) – October 8-10
Berlin (GER) – October 23-25
Budapest (HUN) – October 30 – November 1

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