Full story:
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../25369.asp
Excerpt:
Passages: Fran Crippen, 26 - FINA, USA Swimming Release Statements -- October 23, 2010
FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates, October 23. SHORTLY after the FINA Open Water 10K World Cup swim today in the UAE, United States swimmer Fran Crippen, 26, passed away after falling unconscious during the race.
With the water in the mid-to-high 80s, the competitors all finished and noticed that Crippen had not crossed the finish line. Meet management brought in deep sea divers, who found Crippen unconscious just before the final buoy nearly two hours later. He was transported to the Fujairah Hospital and later died according to information provided to Swimming World. Conflicting reports state that he was found dead on the course.
Crippen had shown signs of slowing down during the third lap of the five-lap race. When Crippen did not immediately finish, a fact noticed by teammate Alex Meyer who screamed for help, the competing swimmers rushed back into the water to help with the search.
Information provided to Swimming World demonstrates that the water was likely too hot for the event as several swimmers were treated for heat exhaustion after the race....
Continuously broadcasting devices exist, but could you use them in an OW race? They require power (like your cell phone, say); are they waterproof? Are they small enough that the athletes could and would wear them? Is the price of the system low enough to make sense to use it given the economics of the FINA World Cup?
Here's an example of a tracking device that broadcasts in real-time:
www1.brickhousesecurity.com/small-real-time-gps-tracking.html
The availability of units that are waterproof and cheap enough are the big factors in my mind.
Continuously broadcasting devices exist, but could you use them in an OW race? They require power (like your cell phone, say); are they waterproof? Are they small enough that the athletes could and would wear them? Is the price of the system low enough to make sense to use it given the economics of the FINA World Cup?
Here's an example of a tracking device that broadcasts in real-time:
www1.brickhousesecurity.com/small-real-time-gps-tracking.html
The availability of units that are waterproof and cheap enough are the big factors in my mind.
