Swim Wales Seeking CEO…..Welsh Swimming is currently searching for a new Chief Executive Officer to continue the progress of the organization’s current key objectives of ensuring every 11-year-old can swim by the year 2020, creating a national network of comprehensive Aquatic Programs through various partnerships, as well as boosting membership of Swim Wales. Founded in 1897, Swim Wales is the national governing body of all aquatic sport through Wales and is responsible for organizing administering, managing, controlling, determining and delivering all aspects of competitive swimming – synchronized, open water, diving water polo and all related aquatic disciplines. The organization currently employs 24 people and is headquartered in Swansea, Wales. CEO applications are due by 12pm local on November 25, 2015.
Trinidad and Tobago Olympians To Earn Olympic Medal Bonuses…..The Guardian Group, a longstanding supporter of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) has confirmed that it will offer up a total of $250,000 in the form of Olympic medal bonuses for athletes competing at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The monetary awards follow those that were also offered at the 2015 Pan American Games, where individual gold medalists were eligible to earn $3,000 for each gold. The 2016 awards are more than tripled that amount, as an Olympic gold medalist can now get paid $10,000, followed by $8,000 for silver and $5,000 for bronze. Relay squads are slated to earn $20,000 collectively for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. “These recent initiatives being undertaken by the TTOC also fall in line with the fraternity’s #10 of more Olympic Gold Medals by 2024 Athlete and Preparation Fund”, said a Group representative.
Spanish Paralympian Earns Prestigious Award…..Six-time Paralympic champion, Teresa Perales from Spain, has become the first athlete with an impairment to earn the Premio Leyenda Award (Legend Award), as she was honored earlier this month in Madrid, Spain. Past winners of the award include Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt and Rafael Nadal. A 22-hour swimming relay was held the day before at Piscina del Canoe in celebration of Perales’ honor, signifying the 22 Paralympic medals the swimmer has earned over the course of her career.
Myanmar Sports Federations Disbanding…..Future host of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia, Myanmar’s Deputy Director of the Ministry of Sport, Thet Lwin, has expressed concern over the location’s preparedness in light of several national sports federations having disbanded since the 2015 edition of the event. Swimming is included in the list of federations that are no longer and is currently without a governing body. Myanmar Swimming Federation head coach Kazushi Nakayama told The Myanmar Times that the organisation was also without sponsorship but they were carrying on their training programmes despite their issues. “[With no Federation] we are without leadership and sponsors but we are maintaining the training of our current national swimmers,” Nakayama said. “Swimmers never stop training. In this sport you need to be constantly in the pool, so we need training facilities and international competition.” As such, the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) has yet to reveal the full list of sports to be included in the 2017 Games, acknowledging that the usual number of 39 could in fact be reduced.