{"id":427014,"date":"2020-04-17T18:15:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-18T01:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=427014"},"modified":"2020-04-18T12:33:30","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T19:33:30","slug":"the-soak-swim-news-in-brief-april13-19-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/the-soak-swim-news-in-brief-april13-19-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"The Soak: Olympic golden girl Mel Wright lending a helping hand in COVID-19 front line"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Soak – Swim News In Brief <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Collated weekly<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Swimming World<\/i> soaks up snippets from the realm of water sports around the world in a one-stop digest updated each day of every passing week.<\/strong><\/p>\n
If you have a snippet of news for us, let us know: editorial@swimmingworld.com<\/em><\/p>\n
The Week of April 13 – 19, 2020<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Saturday, April 18<\/em><\/h4>\n
Australia\u2019s dual Olympic gold medallist<\/strong> and student doctor Mel Wright<\/strong> has experienced first hand the stark reality of the Coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
Wright, who won Olympic gold in 2008 (4x200m freestyle) and 2012 (4x100m freestyle relay) is in her final year of medical school at Bond University<\/strong> on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
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GOOD DOCTOR: Olympic swimmer Mel Wright, a final year medical student at Bond University. Main Photo Courtesy: Gold Coast Bulletin (Jerad Williams).<\/p><\/div>\n
The 33-year-old was in a placement at the Gold Coast University Hospital emergency department when the first cases of coronavirus were found in the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially the magnitude of the problem wasn\u2019t clear \u2013 it was one or two cases but really ramped up after my rotation,\u201d Wright told the Gold Coast Bulletin.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing it first hand really gives you an appreciation the role doctors and nurses have in our society.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is just daunting. Like most working now I have a young family. I don\u2019t want to put them or myself at risk but it is part of the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven during my current rotation in general practice you are seeing people who are showing symptoms \u2013 it is amazing to be in my final year at this time to see how professionally and proactively the medical community responds.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a kid I wanted to be a doctor, swimming felt like something I did before I started my career\u2026. and my focus (at the moment) is just helping where I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wright first gained entry into Bond in 2016 while moving from athlete into her medical career and is eager to graduate at the end of 2020.<\/p>\n
She also plays a key role at Bond University Sport, which includes mentoring many of the faculty\u2019s aspiring Olympians \u2013 including swimmers Alex Graham, Elijah Winnington<\/strong> and Jenna Strauch<\/strong> and Bond University scholarship holder Minna Atherton.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Wright is married to fellow 2012 Olympian, Chris Wright,<\/strong> who is an assistant coach at the Griffith University High Performance Program under Head Coach Michael Bohl.<\/strong><\/p>\n
A program that includes the likes of Emma<\/strong> and David McKeon, Emily Seebohm, Georgia Bohl, Thomas Fraser-Holmes<\/strong> and Taylor McKeown.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Indian Swimmer Faces 4-Year Doping Ban<\/h3>\n
Indian swimmer\u00a0Sahil Pawar<\/strong> has been given a four-year suspension by the Anti-Doping Panel of India, after testing positive for a banned substance in 2019.<\/p>\n
Pawar was tested at the Khelo India Youth Games 2019. An analysis performed on his sample indicated the presence of the metabolite of Methandienone, a banned substance.<\/p>\n
The four-year suspension has been backdated to March 20, 2019.<\/p>\n
Slovakian Swimmer Gets 2-Year Ban<\/h3>\n
Slovakian swimmer\u00a0Juraj Hlavek<\/strong> received a 2-year doping suspension for a positive test. The ban, handed out by the Disciplinary Committee of the Slovak Swimming Federation, began on Sept. 11, 2019.<\/p>\n
Hlavek tested positive for the banned substance Methylhexaneamine during the during the Open Championships of the Slovak Republic.<\/p>\n
Friday April 17<\/em><\/h4>\nScottish Swimming Launches SS Connect<\/h3>\n
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Scottish Swimming Launched SS Connect Today – Inset Photo Courtesy: Scottish Swimming<\/p><\/div>\n
Scottish Swimming has launched SS Connect,\u00a0<\/b>a series of digital courses and content aimed at “learning, communication and enjoyment in the coming weeks and months to support our members\u2019 needs as we feel it is essential to enable our aquatics community to feel connected” during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.<\/p>\n
Members have to pre-register guests, the federation having introduced “additional security measures to ensure we do as much as possible to keep participants safe online”, following\u00a0a Scottish Swimming<\/strong> Zoom workout being hacked and the audience subjected to “disturbing content” (see story further down in this file).<\/em><\/p>\n
Scottish Swimming said:<\/p>\n
“We recognise that our sport relies on a dedicated army of people to deliver it from coaches to teachers and from tutors to volunteers. For this reason, we have put together a programme of online courses and interactive video conferencing sessions to upskill our members during the lockdown period and beyond.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The full programme of courses can be found at the SS website.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
Current course that can be booked include:<\/p>\n
COACHES<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Coach-Athlete relationships, for all All Performance Development Coaches.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPresented by Doug MacDonald on 22\/04\/20 at 13:00. Limited spaces available by booking here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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Backcrawl for Youth Swimmers, for Age Group Coaches.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPresented by Bradley Hay on 23\/04\/20 at 15:30. Spaces available by booking here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
CLUBS<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Club Procedures and Policies\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPresented by Colleen Blair, Sean Dawson and Erin Cummins on 20\/04\/20 at 18:00. Spaces available by booking here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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The Role of a WPO<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPresented by Victoria Steele on 24\/04\/20 at 13:30. Spaces available by booking here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
Thursday April 16<\/em><\/h4>\nBoglarka Kapas Comes Through COVID-19 Infection & Tests Negative<\/h3>\n
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Boglarka Kapas – Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer<\/p><\/div>\n
Boglarka Kapas<\/strong>, the World 200m butterfly champion from Hungary, has tested negative for coronavirus at the end of her 14-day quarantine. After a first test was negative and a second positive<\/a>, a third test a few days out from the end of her isolation returned negative.<\/p>\n
Kapas, among the biggest names in swimming to test positive for corona so far, after Olympic and World champion Cameron van Der Burgh,<\/strong><\/a> announced the good news on her facebook page today<\/a>.<\/p>\n
She is one of 15 Hungarian swimmers who tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19, along with\u00a0Dominik Kozma, David Horvath and Richard Bohus.<\/a><\/p>\n
Hungarian swimming is in lockdown until April 27, when further assessment of the risk will be undertaken. All swimmers will have to produce two consecutive negative tests before any national-team activities are resumed.<\/p>\n
Wednesday April 15<\/em><\/h4>\nBritish Swimming Confirm Original Quartet Will Contest Open Water Qualifier<\/h3>\n
British Swimming<\/strong> have clarified their policy for open water selection to Team GB for Tokyo 2020 which has been rescheduled to July 2021.<\/p>\n
The International Olympic Committee and world governing body FINA have confirmed that the top-10 finishers in the men’s and women’s races at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju will retain their places for 2021.<\/p>\n
Jack Burnell, Hector Pardoe, Alice Dearing<\/strong> and Danielle Huskisson<\/strong> had been due to compete at the open water qualifier in Fukuoka, Japan, in May from which a further nine swimmers – male and female – would book their spots in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
However, that has now been cancelled because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with no date as yet announced.<\/p>\n
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Jack Burnell: Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia<\/p><\/div>\n
British Swimming have stated<\/a> that the quartet would compete at the rescheduled event, saying:<\/p>\n
“Given the revisions to the Olympic dates will mirror when the Games would have taken place in 2020, the Great Britain team shall be selected using the same criteria, at the Olympic qualification event, which was set for 30th\/31st May 2020, but will now take place in 2021.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
National performance director Chris Spice<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Performance Leadership Group (PLG), in conjunction with the British Olympic Association (BOA) have reviewed the original policy in response to the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games, which was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the 24th March. The PLG felt the 2020 Marathon Olympic Games Selection Policy should continue to operate, where possible, in line with the FINA and IOC decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelections for the Olympic Qualification event have already been made and given there have been no changes to the principles of the FINA and IOC qualification process, these selections remain and the four athletes already selected for the event on 30th\/31st May 2020 (Jack Burnell, Hector Pardoe, Alice Dearing and Danielle Huskisson) will compete at the rescheduled event in 2021.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Scott & Guy React As Zoom Workout Is Hacked And Referred To Police<\/h3>\n
World champions Duncan Scott<\/strong> and James Guy<\/strong> have reacted angrily after a Scottish Swimming<\/strong> Zoom workout was hacked and the audience subjected to “disturbing content”.<\/p>\n
Around 300 people saw the clips with the incident referred to the cyber-crime police unit.<\/p>\n
Scott, who anchored the British 4×100 medley relay squad to an astonishing victory at last year’s World Championships with the second-fastest split in history, said on social media:<\/p>\n
“I am in disgust <\/span> $\"Pouting$ Our open invite WOD cancelled due to a sick individual. I am sorry for what everyone and more importantly what the kids that were apart of the WOD had to see!!”<\/span><\/p>\n
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I am in disgust \ud83d\ude21 Our open invite WOD cancelled due to a sick individual. I am sorry for what everyone and more importantly what the kids that were apart of the WOD had to see!! @ScottishSwim<\/a> have released further statements below… https:\/\/t.co\/q5XjcEtcI6<\/a><\/p>\n
— Duncan Scott MBE (@Dunks_Scott) April 14, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n