ESPN article that discusses OW safety and temperature limits
Former Member
espn.go.com/.../open-water-safety-still-an-issue-at-worlds The release specifically informs open water swimmers that national team officials may advise them not to compete because of extreme temperatures or other issues, such as poor water or air quality. If they race anyway, they're on their own legally. And the criteria used by USA Swimming officials may be different than FINA's. USA Swimming's independently commissioned investigation also recommended a 31-degree standard, but added an index that takes air temperature into account. Any combination of air and water temperature exceeding 63 degrees has been deemed unsafe.
What's wrong with this picture? It's hard to know where to start.
Top open water swimmers have made it clear they think 31 degrees Celsius is far too high a maximum temperature. A petition signed last winter by numerous elite athletes that called for a 28-degree (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) ceiling was ignored. With the pace and exertion of this race -- a men's 10K takes roughly two hours -- just a few degrees can affect dehydration and heat exhaustion. I agree with the petition signed by the athletes. I think USMS should adopt the 28-degree (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) max temp limit for all USMS OW Championship races. As part of the bid the promoters would need to submit historical temperature data for the time of year that the event is to be held. If there is a history of say once in every four years of exceeding that limit (25% chance or more), then that bid should not be accepted.
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Former Member
JINSHAN CITY, China (AP) — Unsafe water temperatures created chaos in the 25-kilometer races at the open water world championships Saturday, prompting most of the American team to withdraw before the start and one swimmer to accuse organizers of acting irresponsibly.
Defending men's champion Valerio Cleri of Italy withdrew after four hours, saying it was "too hot and too dangerous" to continue.
"There's not enough attention on the athletes," Cleri said. "There should not have been a race here. The jury was irresponsible."
Teammate Edoardo Stochino was pulled from the water about 50 minutes later and taken away on a stretcher as officials poured cold water over his chest. He was checked out and returned to the venue a short time later.
Germany's Thomas Lurz and American Alex Meyer were among those who decided not to start the race.
The men's and women's races were moved up two hours to a 6 a.m. start in an attempt to stage them in cooler conditions, but the water was already 87 degrees — just under the suggested "unsafe" point of 88.
As the morning wore on, the water temperature reached 88 and the sun began beating down on the course. The air temperature was 90 with 68 percent humidity by the time the race finished.
Safety has become a major concern in open water swimming following the death of American Fran Crippen in the United Arab Emirates last year. Crippen, a six-time U.S. national champion, died in October near the end of a 10K World Cup event in warm temperatures. No one noticed him slip beneath the surface and his body was not found until two hours after the race.
Meyer, Crippen's close friend and the only U.S. man scheduled to swim Saturday, blasted FINA officials for deciding to hold the race in the first place.
"What's the point in making rules and recommendations if you're just going to blow them off at events like this," he said. "I'm deeply disappointed that they're continuing to hold this race.
"It's like, did you not learn your lesson? Do you not remember what happened last time?
"And if these FINA guys, they say, 'Oh you're not in good shape. You're not a good enough swimmer' ... No, it's not because I'm not a good swimmer, it's because it's too hot."
Read more: www.seattlepi.com/.../Heat-plays-havoc-with-25K-open-water-races-1545970.php
JINSHAN CITY, China (AP) — Unsafe water temperatures created chaos in the 25-kilometer races at the open water world championships Saturday, prompting most of the American team to withdraw before the start and one swimmer to accuse organizers of acting irresponsibly.
Defending men's champion Valerio Cleri of Italy withdrew after four hours, saying it was "too hot and too dangerous" to continue.
"There's not enough attention on the athletes," Cleri said. "There should not have been a race here. The jury was irresponsible."
Teammate Edoardo Stochino was pulled from the water about 50 minutes later and taken away on a stretcher as officials poured cold water over his chest. He was checked out and returned to the venue a short time later.
Germany's Thomas Lurz and American Alex Meyer were among those who decided not to start the race.
The men's and women's races were moved up two hours to a 6 a.m. start in an attempt to stage them in cooler conditions, but the water was already 87 degrees — just under the suggested "unsafe" point of 88.
As the morning wore on, the water temperature reached 88 and the sun began beating down on the course. The air temperature was 90 with 68 percent humidity by the time the race finished.
Safety has become a major concern in open water swimming following the death of American Fran Crippen in the United Arab Emirates last year. Crippen, a six-time U.S. national champion, died in October near the end of a 10K World Cup event in warm temperatures. No one noticed him slip beneath the surface and his body was not found until two hours after the race.
Meyer, Crippen's close friend and the only U.S. man scheduled to swim Saturday, blasted FINA officials for deciding to hold the race in the first place.
"What's the point in making rules and recommendations if you're just going to blow them off at events like this," he said. "I'm deeply disappointed that they're continuing to hold this race.
"It's like, did you not learn your lesson? Do you not remember what happened last time?
"And if these FINA guys, they say, 'Oh you're not in good shape. You're not a good enough swimmer' ... No, it's not because I'm not a good swimmer, it's because it's too hot."
Read more: www.seattlepi.com/.../Heat-plays-havoc-with-25K-open-water-races-1545970.php
