World Swimming Association?

Steve, I'm not the one suggesting your opinions are being bought and paid for by FINA or sponsors or whoever. And I think it's perfectly just that your plane fare, hotel bill and meals tab should get picked up for an entirely volunteer position. What I did question was why you would have such a warm-and-fuzzy for FINA after they made an absolute (and absolutely avoidable) mess of your open water championships this summer in Europe. These were no small snafus: arguably the greatest open water swimmer ever is at the center of the complaints, and nothing but a bunch of asterisks in the record books can begin to correct the damage FINA did. You've written two fairly lengthy posts in a row on this thread, but I don't see any direct reference to these controversies. Now I'm more curious than ever: what do you think of what happened? How should it have been handled? There are two separate issues: the zipper business, and new suits popping up on the approved list shortly before major events, to the surprise of (among others) the reigning open water swimmer of our era. Then there is the larger issue of whether too much is happening behind closed FINA doors. There should be no reason you cannot tell us on this thread (not in private emails) what you really think about these controversies, and how they can be avoided in the future. As you say, you have put in countless volunteer hours for a sport you love. Certainly you love it enough to defend it from procedural irregularities that undermine the sport's credibility?

Steve, I'm not the one suggesting your opinions are being bought and paid for by FINA or sponsors or whoever. And I think it's perfectly just that your plane fare, hotel bill and meals tab should get picked up for an entirely volunteer position. What I did question was why you would have such a warm-and-fuzzy for FINA after they made an absolute (and absolutely avoidable) mess of your open water championships this summer in Europe. These were no small snafus: arguably the greatest open water swimmer ever is at the center of the complaints, and nothing but a bunch of asterisks in the record books can begin to correct the damage FINA did. You've written two fairly lengthy posts in a row on this thread, but I don't see any direct reference to these controversies. Now I'm more curious than ever: what do you think of what happened? How should it have been handled? There are two separate issues: the zipper business, and new suits popping up on the approved list shortly before major events, to the surprise of (among others) the reigning open water swimmer of our era. Then there is the larger issue of whether too much is happening behind closed FINA doors. There should be no reason you cannot tell us on this thread (not in private emails) what you really think about these controversies, and how they can be avoided in the future. As you say, you have put in countless volunteer hours for a sport you love. Certainly you love it enough to defend it from procedural irregularities that undermine the sport's credibility?