Camille Lacourt Enters Wax Museum…..30-year-old French backstroking superpower, Camille Lacourt, saw his statue make its debut at the Grevin Museum in Paris late last month. The Grevin Museum in Paris contains approximately 450 characters from French history and modern life, including Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi and Pope John Paul II. Lacourt is the first French swimmer to be installed in the museum, with his particular sculpture having been created by Eric Saint Chaffray. Of his induction, Lacourt said (translation), “I am enormously flattered and delighted that my statue is part of a group of athletes who made me dream that I was thrilled and I admire. It is a reward, I think. It could have been other swimmers in my place, who also scored swimming.”
Le #Catalan Camille #Lacourt fait son entrée au #musée #Grévin @CNMarseille @Cam_Lacourt https://t.co/Pg9enHf7RY pic.twitter.com/P9yibdopRL
— France3Languedoc (@F3Languedoc) December 3, 2015
New Aquatics Facility Opens In Cambodia…..Earlier this week, Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen, opened the country’s state-of-the-art swimming pool and diving facility outside of Phnom Penh in Kampong Cham city. The structure is meant to help facilitate growth and development in the country’s aquatics training and competition. At a cost of approximately $2 million, the “Techo Hun Sen Swimming Complex” includes a 50m pool and diving platform and was created in the spirit of the late deputy secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee, Hem Thon. Hem Thon was one of the founders of the Cambodian swimming federation in 1983 and has served as its secretary-general for 32 years. “Hem Thon was one of Cambodia’s highly regarded and most successful competitive swimmers in the decade between the Independence and the Khmer Rouge era. He was very passionate in his involvement with this project in Kampong Cham,” NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said.
Iowa Pool Plans On Hold…..A new pool project slated for Dubuque Community Schools in Iowa has been put on hold due to funding disagreements. School Board members had planned on a $7 million facility to have been opened this year using proceeds from a 1-cent sales tax, however, funds have been diverted to the Iowa manufacturing sector instead. Said Board President Mike Donohue, “We’ll have to push it [aquatics center planning] to next year, hoping in the meantime we’ll have success legislatively getting,an extension of a statewide penny sales tax that generates revenue for school building and technology enhancements.”
Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee Announce Rio T-shirts…..In an effort to earn funds for its ‘Ten Olympic Gold Medals Or More By 2024” campaign, the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) has launched the sale of specially designed t-shirts. The black and gold t-shirts priced at $149 are scheduled to go on sale starting December 11th. TTOC President Brian Lewis said the shirts represent the organization’s overall change of strategy and “One of these decisions is not only to become more market-oriented and market-focused, but to embrace and engage what we call digital transformation. The TTO C is now living in social and digital media. In that regard, we have recently agreed a partnership with Tribal Caribbean to be our social and digital partner.” Tribal Caribbean, a digital advertising agency, is partnering with the TTO C online marketing of the TT / Rio apparel. The t-shirts and all other related merchandise will be sold at Fan Club outlets located at Movietowne, Trincity Mall, Gulf City and at Aboutique Mall.