Amanda Beard, winner of seven Olympic medals in the race pool for the US, including gold over 200m breaststroke in 2004, provides insight into her life, loves and swim career in the pages of "In the Water They Can't See You Cry: A Memoir". An Olympic medallist at 15 in 1996, she recounts a bubbly childhood with her family amid the hissing of summer lawns in sun-drenched Irvine, California. She had an obsession with neatness, order that lent itself to the disciplines required in competitive swimming. Water, she writes "became...

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND--On March 7, FINA issued two rule interpretations related to timing during the breaststroke pulldown (Rules SW 7.1 and SW 7.2). The interpretations clarify when the first arm-stroke starts (when the hands separate), and that a pause to the first arm-stroke after they separate is allowed. The actual wordings of the interpretations are posted on the subpage of the FINA website where SW 7 is posted: http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=ar ticle&id=284:sw-7-breaststroke&catid=82:swimming-rules& Itemid=184

Link to Manual (Spanish): http://www.consanat.com/documents/others/manualparaeldesarrollodefederacionesnacionales.pdf

SUBSCRIBE TO FINA AQUATICS WORLD MAGAZINE The English language FINA Aquatics World Magazine addresses all fans of aquatic sport and aims to make the five disciplines even more popular on all five continents. Fans of swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, water polo and open water swimming can now read extensive analyses of the largest events in their sport, as well as interviews with the stars, in a publication packed with fabulous photos. Our readers will be able to plunge into the unique nature of each of the five FINA sports: the...

Vázquez Raña re-elected PASO President MEXICO CITY, MEXICO--Reports out of Mexico City indicate that the 50th General Assembly of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) met last week in the city. At the meeting, Mexico's Mario Vázquez Raña was re-elected to another term as president of PASO; he ran unopposed. This term goes through 2016. Vázquez Raña has been president of PASO since 1975. The PASO Executive Committee for 2012-16 is: President: Mario Vázquez Raña, Mexico Secretary General: Jimena Saldaña, Mexico Vice Presidents (3): Keith Joseph, Saint Vincent & the...

BELEM, BRAZIL--The Swimming portion of the 2012 South American Championships began today and continues through Saturday (March 13-17) in Belém, Pará. The championships features all 5 Aquatics disciplines, and is this and next week (Swimming, Diving and Open Water are this week; Water Polo and Synchro are next week). Further information on the championships can be found [in Portuguese] here: http://sulamericano2012.blogspot.com/

The latest edition of SwimNews Magazine, out this week, offers a feast of insight, including: Natalie Coughlin talks to Russ Ewald about life in and out of the pool Cecil Colwin reviews 100 years of freestyle swimming through the words of Louis de B. Handley and Robert Kiphuth Forbes Carlile watches Olympic champion Park Tae Hwan (KOR) and his unique breathing technique A world first: water whisperer Milt Nelms goes global and meets Craig Lord to reveal the holistic pathway to getting a swimmer to get the best out of...

Cayman Welcomes Visit Swimming of Ian Armiger and 2012 British Olympians Last week several of Coach Ian Armiger’s athletes qualified for the GB team competing in the London 2012 Olympics while competing at the British Nationals & Olympic Swimming Trials. Without a doubt Cayman Swimming is extremely fortunate to have someone of Ian’s caliber on board following the Olympic Games as Technical Director. Coach Armiger will be visiting Cayman from March 21st -28th and he will be bringing with him several 2012 Olympians for a week of training in our...

BAHAMAS--The Bahamas Swimming Federation has announced a 36-swimmer team for the 2012 CARIFTA Championships, which will be next month in Nassau. Team members can be found online here: http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/sports/359654943284329.php

The South American Swimming Confederation, Confederación Sudamericana de Natación (CONSANAT), held its 2012 Congress March 12th in Belém, Brazil. Reports that were to be presented at the meeting from the CONSANAT Executive Committee and the body's technical committees have been posted [in Spanish] on the CONSANAT website here: http://www.consanat.com/index.php/en/component/content/article/35-miembros-comision-ejecutiva/270-la-comision-ejecutiva-entrego-informe-de-gestion-2011-2012 2011 RESULTS ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES: http://www.consanat.com/documents/informes%20de%20gestion/anexoresultadosinternacionales.pdf