By Phillip Whitten <\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS, reposted from October 9. IF you\u2019ve been watching the 7th FINA Short Course World Championships on ESPN2, you undoubtedly have noticed that the swimmers all are wearing a bumper sticker-sized advertisement for \u201cArgent,\u201d one of FINA\u2019s major sponsors, on their warm-up suits before their races and during the medal ceremonies. <\/p>\n
The stickers, which represent a \u201cnew FINA policy being tried here on an experimental basis,\u201d have been met with almost universal skepticism and disapproval, and have engendered considerable controversy here, though most of it has been confined to grumbling and a handful of apparent attempts to sabotage the policy. <\/p>\n
Several athletes, for example, have covered the stickers by strategically placing their towels over the offending rectangles. These actions resulted in an immediate edict by FINA officials declaring that athletes may not take towels out of the Ready Room \u2013 not even to dry off their starting blocks. <\/p>\n
FINA\u2019s New Policy <\/b>
\nCornel Marculescu, FINA\u2019s Executive Director, explained the rationale for the new policy: \u201cWe\u2019re not breaking any new ground here,\u201d he said. \u201cAthletics (track and field) already has its athletes wear bibs with the names of the federation\u2019s sponsors on them.
\nOur plan is to do the same. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is to raise money from our sponsors. The income will go to the sport. Our goal is that by Melbourne in 2007, we want to have raised enough money to pay all the expenses \u2013 airfare, lodging and food \u2013 for 1500 athletes and 800 FINA officials. If we are successful, the federations will not have to pay any expense to send their teams and officials to the World Championships. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis will also make our events economically more appealing to potential host cities, which will be able to make money from hosting FINA events,\u201d Marculescu said. <\/p>\n
Another part of the plan, he said, is to \u201cgive each swimmer at a major competition a number, which will be on his bib (sticker). That way the fans will be able to identify every swimmer and not just the most famous ones like Michael Phelps.\u201d <\/p>\n
What will FINA do if an athlete refuses to wear a FINA sticker or bib to the blocks or podium? Marculescu was asked. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he shrugged. \u201cThis is an experiment.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Athletes and Coaches React <\/b>
\nOfficials and coaches from several nations were less than enthusiastic about the new policy, but most spoke only in generalities and off the record. <\/p>\n
Exceptions included Mike Bottom, Associate Head coach at the University of California, who characterized the policy as "absurd." Pete Malone, head US women's coach here and head coach of the Kansas City Blazers was similarly dismissive of the stickers but shrugged, saying, "it's all about money."<\/p>\n
One high-ranking British official commented: \u201cThese things always present a dilemma because the major priority of a governing body is to make money to support its sport. But that should be done in a practical way that doesn\u2019t cause problems for the athletes. This new policy does not pass that test.\u201d <\/p>\n
The athletes we spoke with were more direct, all but one expressing outright disapproval for the FINA stickers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s stupid,\u201d said the USA\u2019s Ryan Lochte bluntly, a sentiment echoed by several other swimmers as well. <\/p>\n
One of those was Slovakia\u2019s Martina Moravcova. \u201cSwimming is our livelihood,\u201d she explained, \u201cand, as you know, it\u2019s not easy to make money swimming. So why should I advertise the name and logo of a company that doesn\u2019t give me a dollar and, at the same time, be forbidden from advertising the names and logos of my own sponsors? It doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d <\/p>\n
Amanda Beard was equally blunt. "It's absolutely ridiculous," she said.<\/p>\n
Neil Walker, the only athlete who expressed qualified support for the idea, said he could see both sides of the issue. \u201cI haven\u2019t made up my mind,\u201d he said. On the one hand, we area professional athletes and we should benefit, as individuals, from any sponsorship deal that profits from our achievements in the water. On the other hand FINA said it wants to use the money to pay all the expenses for an entire event \u2013 airfare, food and hotels. That doesn\u2019t help individual athletes, but it\u2019s not just about the individual.\u201d <\/p>\n
Sprinter Maritza Correia, the American record-holder for 50 yards free, expressed a more prevalent point of view. \u201cI don\u2019t like them (the stickers),\u201d she said. \u201cThey are really stupid and makes we feel like a walking billboard. Not only that, it takes the focus away from the sport. People come to see the athletes, not the same of the governing board\u2019s sponsor.\u201d <\/p>\n
Surprisingly, swimmers from less affluent nations felt much the same. Twenty-three year-old Khaly Ciss of Senegal, a fourth-place finisher recently at the All-Africa Games, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a bad idea. I don\u2019t know why FINA is doing it. It\u2019s a problem for the swimmers because they can\u2019t remove their warm-ups when they want to and because it changes the focus from the swimmer to the sponsor.\u201d <\/p>\n
Triple world record-holder Brendan Hansen, best summed up the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of athletes with whom we spoke: \u201cThe sponsors have the entire venue to get their message out. They have signage around the pool deck, in and over the stands and on the electronic scoreboard. They have ads on T.V., in swimming magazines and in the event programs. They get their message across with every souvenir that\u2019s purchased. I don\u2019t see that there\u2019s any need for us to become billboards for the some multi-million-dollar corporation. It\u2019s demeaning. <\/p>\n
\u201cLike most other swimmers, I have a routine I go through when I come out to swim in a final. It\u2019s familiar, it\u2019s comforting and it gets me pumped. <\/p>\n
\u201cThink about it: You\u2019re in the Ready Room, you\u2019re nervous before the big race and trying to focus mentally. Then along comes some official who slaps a sticker on your chest. It\u2019s going to affect your flow and ability to focus. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what about the swimmer in lane 8? He\u2019s told by FINA to keep his warm-up suit on until after he\u2019s introduced and the T.V. cameras have recorded him. Then he might have only a few seconds to get out of his sweats and rush onto the blocks. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what about the swimmer who is sponsored by a competitor of the FINA sponsor. If Ian Thorpe, for example, is sponsored by adidas, how can FINA compel him to wear a billboard for Speedo? <\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t think it\u2019s a very good idea,\u201d he concluded. \u201cIt\u2019s not natural.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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