UANA News–March 2008
\nMarch 25, 2008<\/i><\/p>\n
ARGENTINA<\/b> (ARG)<\/i> BAHAMAS<\/b> (BAH)<\/i> BRAZIL<\/b> (BRA)<\/i> Mar.12–<\/i>The Court of Arbitration for Sport<\/b> (CAS) and FINA are expected to rule on the doping case of Brazil's Rebeca Gusm\u00e3o<\/b> sometime before the end of April. This follows appearance by Gusm\u00e3o in front of CAS and FINA on March 7 and 10, respectively.<\/p>\n Mar.17–<\/i>Brazil's Poliana Okimoto won the women's 10K race at the second stop of FINA's 2008 10K circuit in Dubai<\/a>, United Arab Emirates. Okimoto finished in 1:56:01.27 ahead of France's Aur\u00e9lie Muller at 1:56:30.47; Germany's Thomas Lurz won the men's race in 1:48:53.06.<\/p>\n CANADA<\/b> (CAN)<\/i> Mar.24–<\/i>The 2008 Canadian 22 & Under Men's Water Polo Club Nationals<\/a> were held March 21-23 in Montr\u00e9al, Qu\u00e9bec. The tournament featured 6 teams. Results from the event are available in the pdf linked above.<\/p>\n EL SALVADOR<\/b> (ESA)<\/i> GUYANA<\/b> (GUY)<\/i> JAMAICA<\/b> (JAM)<\/i> MEXICO<\/b> (MEX)<\/i> Mar.8–<\/i>The Mexican Swimming Federation, Federaci\u00f3n Mexicana de Nataci\u00f3n (FMN) held its 2008 General Assembly<\/b> on March 8. A report [in Spanish] on the meeting can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n PERU<\/b> (PER)<\/i> SURINAME<\/b> (SUR)<\/i> USA<\/b> (USA)<\/i> Mar.25–<\/i>March saw the swimming of the USA<\/b>'s various college championships<\/b> in swimming and diving. Results from those events can be found online here: VENEZUELA<\/b> (VEN)<\/i> OTHER<\/b> Feb.26–<\/i>The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has posted the revised World Anti-Doping Code<\/a>. The new Code will go into effect on January 1, 2009.<\/p>\n Mar.11–<\/i>The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has published listings of the athletes believed to be qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games<\/a>. The IPC is asking that the National Members of each Paralympic Sport Federation verify their information by April 20, 2008<\/b>.<\/p>\n Mar.17–<\/i>The 2008 South American Aquatics Championships<\/b><\/a> were held in S\u00e3o Paolo, Brazil, March 12-16. The Championships featured competition in diving, swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo–with the water polo competition serving as the South American qualifier for the UANA Cup. Brazil won the overall medal count, with Venezuela coming in second. Results from the event can be found at the link above.<\/p>\n Mar.18–<\/i>The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced findings from a review of Beijing, China's air quality.<\/a> In reaction to the report, the IOC stated that it feels the health of the athletes during the 2008 Olympics will not be largely impaired. The IOC does have some concern regarding events being conducted outdoors that would be an hour or longer in duration, including the open water events. The IOC has asked the various International Federations related to these disciplines to come up with a potential alternative competition plan, in case it is deemed needed during the Games.<\/p>\n Mar.19–<\/i>The 2007 Masters Top-10 World Rankings<\/a> have been posted on the FINA website.<\/p>\n Mar.20–<\/i>The organizers of the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy<\/a> have announced mid-month that the pool portions of the 2009 Worlds will be held at the Foro Italico complex, the same site as the 1994 Worlds. The announcement confirms the location of the Championships within Rome. The open water portions of the 2009 Worlds will be the only part of the Championships not held at Foro Italico; those races will instead be held in the Roman coastal neighborhood of Ostia.<\/p>\n Mar.22–<\/i>FINA announced in Beijing, China, on March 22 the draws for the 2008 Olympics Water Polo tournaments<\/a>. For the men<\/b>'s 12-team field, Canada<\/b> will play in Group A, along with Australian, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro and Spain; while the USA<\/b> will play in Group B with China, Croatia, Germany, Italy and Serbia. In the women<\/b>'s 8-team tournament, the USA<\/b> is the Americas sole representative, and will play in Group A with China, Italy and Russia. The women's Group B consists of Australia, Greece, Hungary and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n REGION EVENTS–April 2008<\/b><\/p>\n April 1-6<\/i>—Canadian Olympic Trials<\/a> (Montr\u00e9al, Qu\u00e9bec)<\/p>\n April 9-13<\/i>—9th FINA World Swimming Championship 25m<\/a> (Manchester, Great Britain)<\/p>\n April 12-16<\/i>–2008 Cuba Olympics (Havana)<\/p>\n April 15-25<\/i>—2008 FINA Masters Worlds<\/a> (Perth, Australia)<\/p>\n
\nMar.25–<\/i>Agustina de Giovanni swam to a new Argentine and South American record<\/b> in the women's 200 breaststroke<\/b> at a long-course invitational held March 25 in Columbus, Ohio (USA). De Giovanni finished in 2:31.15 to better the record of 2:32.93 she set on March 23, 2003. Further information on the meet can be found in this Swimming World article: Ohio State Post-NCAA Long Course Invite<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nMar.3–<\/i>At February's USA Grand Prix meet in Columbia, Missouri, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace set a new Bahamian Record in the women's 100 free of 56.67.<\/p>\n
\nFeb.25–<\/i>Brazil's 2008 Open Water Nationals, held on Sunday, February 24, served as the country's trials for the 2008 Open Water Worlds in May in Seville, Spain. Selected to swim in Seville are: Ana Marcela Cunha (5K, 10K) and Poliana Okimoto (10K), Allan do Carmo (5K, 10K) and Marcelo Romanelli (10K). Carlos Rog\u00e9rio Arapiraca and M\u00e1rcio Latuf will be the coaches for the trip.<\/p>\n
\nMar.9–<\/i>The Canadian Men's Water Polo team qualified for its first Olympics<\/a> on March 9 by finishing 4th at FINA's Men's Olympic qualifying tournament, held in Oradea, Romania.
(See "Other" section below for an item on the Olympic tournament draws.)<\/i><\/p>\n
\nMar.5–<\/i>Swimmer Golda Marcus<\/b> became the fifth member of El Salvador's 2008 Olympic team (for all sports) when she swam an Olympic qualifying time in the women's 400 free at February's USA Grand Prix meet in Columbia, Missouri.<\/p>\n
\nMar.10–<\/i>The Guyana Amateur Swimming Association hosted a 9-day FINA Intermediate Swimming Coaches clinic<\/a> in Georgetown, February 29-March 9. Germany's Gerd Nottelmann conducted the course which was attended by 12 coaches.<\/p>\n
\nMar.11–<\/i>The Amateur Swimming Federation of Jamaica (ASAJ) elected the following Executive Officers at its annual meeting on March 11:
\n -President: John Eyre
\n -First Vice President: Locksley Todd
\n -V.P. for Swimming: Dr. Brian James
\n -V.P. for Synchronized Swimming: Marjorie Scott-Anderson
\n -V.P. for Water Polo: Garth Henriques
\n -Treasurer: Richard Hopkins
\n -Honorary Secretary: Faith Palmer
\n -Asst. Secretary\/Treasurer: Mark Jones<\/p>\n
\nMar.4–<\/i>The meet summons for the 2008 Youth World Swimming Championships<\/a> in Monterrey, Mexico, July 8-13, has been posted online at the link.<\/p>\n
\nFeb.28–<\/i>Brothers Oscar and Sebasti\u00e1n Jahnsen will represent Peru at the 2008 Swimming Short Course Worlds in Manchester, UK, in mid-April. The duo qualified based off their performances at the 2008 Peruvian Short Course Nationals, were Sebasti\u00e1n set a new Peruvian Record in the men's 200 free (1:51.26).<\/p>\n
\nFeb.26–<\/i>Swimmer Gordon Touw Ngie Tjouw was named the Suriname Olympic Committee's 2007 Sportsman of the Year. This is the third year in a row he has received the honor.<\/p>\n
\nMar.10–<\/i>On March 7 in Austin, Texas, the USA's Hayley MacGregory lowered the women's 50 back World Record<\/b> to 28.00. The record had been 28.09 set by China's Yang Li at the 2007 World Military Games.<\/p>\n
\n -NCAA Division I Women<\/a>'s meet (March 20-22 in Columbus, Ohio)
\n -NCAA Division I Men<\/a>'s meet (March 27-29 in Federal Way, Washington)
\n -NCAA Division II<\/a> meet (March 12-16 in Columbia, Missouri)
\n -NCAA Division III Women<\/a>'s meet (March 13-16 in Oxford, Ohio)
\n -NCAA Division III Men<\/a>'s meet (March 20-22 in Oxford, Ohio)
\n –NAIA meet<\/a> (February 27-March 1 in San Antonio, Texas)
\n –NJCAA meet<\/a> (March 5-8 in Fort Pierce, Florida)<\/p>\n
\nMar.5–<\/i>The Venezuelan Aquatic Sports Federation announced the dates of its 2008 Masters Triple Crown series. The three meets will be held March 26-29 in Valencia<\/a>, mid-June in a location to be determine and October 28-November 2 in Porlamar, Isla de Margarita.<\/p>\n
\nFeb.26–<\/i>Information about the 2009 Caribbean Games<\/b><\/a>, that will be held in Trinidad & Tobago, has been posted online at the link. Aquatics is one of 5 disciplines named as part of these inaugural games.<\/p>\n