By Phillip Whitten<\/p>\n
DUBAI, UAE, March 12. FINA — swimming's international governing body — has awarded the XI FINA World Masters Swimming Championships in 2006 to the USA, FINA Vice President Dale Neuburger said today from Dubai, where FINA is conducting a meeting of its Executive Committee.<\/p>\n
The award was made to United States Aquatic Sports (USAS), with the event to be hosted by United States Masters Swimming (USMS) and its local organizing committee, Pacific Masters Swimming (PMS).<\/p>\n
The two week-long "celebration of fitness," in the words of USMS President Jim Miller, M.D., will include competition in swimming, open water swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. The swimming, and most of the other events, will be held at Stanford University in August, 2006.<\/p>\n
"The way we're setting up the venue," the president said, "will allow the participants in each discipline to witness and support the athletes in the other disciplines.<\/p>\n
Dr. Miller had made hosting the World Championships a cornerstone of his presidency. Reached tonight on his way to a swim meet in New York, Dr. Miller said he was "delighted" with the FINA decision.<\/p>\n
"This is an incredible opportunity for US Masters Swimming to showcase our great sport and the amazing people that make it up," he said. "It's also an opportunity for our wonderful committees to work together as a family to achieve a shared goal.<\/p>\n
"Another dividend will be the opportunity to work together with our sister disciplines," he added.<\/p>\n
Great Britain and Egypt also submitted bids to host the 2006 World Championships.<\/p>\n
"Winning this bid," Dr. Miller said, "is a tribute to the leadership of Pacific Msters and their organizing skills. <\/p>\n
"We were pretty sure there would be competing bids," he elaborated. "When FINA decided to allow the three countries that were bidding to make presentation, we sent Michael (Moore, head of the PMS organizing committee] to Dubai. He put together a Power-Points presentation that just wowed the FINA members. <\/p>\n
"Michael has been awesome in his leadership role," Dr. Miller added.<\/p>\n
This marks only the second time the United States will have hosted the event, the world's largest competitive aquatic meet. The last time was in 1992, when the meet was held in Indianapolis. The last time the meet was held in North America was in 1994, when Montreal played host.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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