Latest news with #WorldAquatics
Gulf Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
NOC discusses Dakar Youth Olympic Games entry standards with federations
The Technical and Sports Affairs Department of the UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC) held a joint coordination meeting on Thursday at the committee's headquarters in Dubai with representatives of relevant national sports federations. The meeting focused on preparations for participation in the fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games – Dakar 2026, which will feature 2,700 athletes competing in 151 events across 25 sports. Ahmed Al Tayyeb, Director of the Technical and Sports Affairs Department at the NOC, delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the participation requirements. These included eligibility and qualification standards approved by the International Olympic Committee and the respective International Federations, along with timelines, age-specific technical criteria, international licensing, and qualification frameworks. An open discussion followed, allowing federation representatives to raise questions and share observations. Key follow-up areas were identified to ensure optimal preparedness for this landmark Olympic event. The sports programme for Dakar 2026 comprises 25 disciplines: swimming, athletics, boxing, rugby, basketball (3x3), equestrian, judo, taekwondo, fencing, archery, table tennis, badminton, sailing, rowing, wrestling, beach handball, beach volleyball, and triathlon. During the meeting, participants discussed the detailed qualification criteria for each sport, with particular emphasis on the age requirement specifying that eligible athletes must be born between 2009 and 2010. Additional criteria were reviewed, such as the requirement for swimmers to appear in the World Aquatics rankings during the qualification window from February 1 2025 to May 1 2026. For badminton, athletes must have participated in at least one event sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation or be listed in the BWF Junior World Rankings prior to the final athlete registration deadline of September 25, 2026. The fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, marking the first time an African nation hosts an Olympic event. Dakar 2026 is set to be a transformative milestone, fostering development in sport, society, culture, education, and the economy—offering young athletes new opportunities, inspiration, and confidence in the future. NOC attends International Athletes' Forum in Lausanne: The UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC), represented by its Athletes' Committee, participated in the 12th International Athletes' Forum (IAF), held in Lausanne, Switzerland. The delegation included Mohammed Al Nakhy and Aisha Jasem Al Ali, both members of the Athletes' Committee. The International Athletes' Forum is the world's largest gathering of athlete representatives, organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission. The forum convened over 400 participants to address key issues affecting athletes, amplify their voices, and exchange ideas to strengthen the support provided by their respective athletes' commissions. The programme featured a series of plenary sessions and workshops through which participants explored the range of support available from the IOC, Olympic Solidarity, and Olympic partners worldwide. Several sessions were moderated by Allyson Felix, an IOC Athletes' Commission member and 11-time Olympic medallist, who led discussions with athletes benefiting from these support programmes. The forum also included updates on major upcoming Olympic Games, including Milano Cortina 2026, Los Angeles 2028, the French Alps 2030, and Brisbane 2032. Members of the IOC Athletes' Commission presented the latest developments for each edition, joined by representatives from Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028. Throughout the forum, participants engaged in parallel skill-building workshops covering topics such as anti-doping, mental health and well-being, prevention of match manipulation, social media strategies for athletes' commissions, sustainability, and effective commission governance.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Canada's Summer McIntosh breaks 400m medley world record
Summer McIntosh continued her sensational form by breaking her own world record in the 400m individual medley at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria on Wednesday. The 18-year-old swimming sensation clocked 4:23.65, surpassing her previous mark of 4:24.38 set in Toronto during last year's Olympic trials. A three-time Olympic gold medallist , McIntosh delivered a dominant performance just weeks ahead of the World Championships in Singapore. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo — Devin_Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) 'Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career,' McIntosh said in a poolside interview. Live Events "World records are made to be broken. So by the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that that record is as fast as possible. "That really keeps me going, because I know there's always going to be the next generation of kids growing up, and they're going to be chasing the record. So I've gotta give them my best effort to see how long it can stand," McIntosh added. — WorldAquatics (@WorldAquatics) McIntosh, who claimed gold medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, and 400m individual medley at last year's Paris Olympics, now sets her sights on next month's World Championships in Singapore. With four world championship golds already to her name, the Canadian star will be looking to continue her dominance on the global stage.
Fox News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Simone Biles doesn't realize what she's admitting about trans women in her posts, Riley Gaines says
Riley Gaines pointed out a discrepancy in Simone Biles' personal attack on her as she called for the possibility of a third category for transgender athletes to compete in. Gaines broke down the social media post aimed at her from Biles in a recent episode of OutKick's "Gaines for Girls" podcast. The former NCAA All-American swimmer specifically talked about the Olympic gymnast, imploring her to create a "new avenue where trans feel safe in sports" and offering the idea of a "transgender category in all sports." "I don't think she realizes in that one sentence she's admitting that these people who say 'they are transgender women' are really just men," Gaines said. "She's admitting that by saying we should have a third category. I hope she realizes that. "Secondly, this has been done several times now. FINA (now known as World Aquatics), which is the international governing body of swimming, they were very quick to do this. Following the national championships, they did create a third category, even at the international, really high-level meets – to which they said we welcome all who are non-binary, gender non-conforming, those who identify as transgender, this is a category for you." World Aquatics developed the open category for transgender athletes who were barred from competing against the gender they identify as. Lia Thomas challenged the organization's rule change and lost in the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year. Additionally, World Aquatics was forced to scrap its open category race in the 2023 Berlin Swimming World Cup due to lack of interest. "This compromise that you're trying to make, don't come to me with it," Gaines said. "You should go to the other side and see how they feel about this compromise, because it's a compromise that they are not willing to make." Thomas won an NCAA championship in 2022. Nearly three years later, the NCAA changed its gender-participation policy in an attempt to align with President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Kyle Chalmers hopes Enhanced Games leads to improvement in prize money for clean swimmers
– Kyle Chalmers won't criticise fellow swimmers for taking part in the Enhanced Games, but the Australian hopes the proposed multi-sport event prompts World Aquatics to increase prize money for clean athletes. The Enhanced Games will allow athletes to use pharmacological or technological assistance, including substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Retired Australian world champion swimmer James Magnussen, 34, in February 2024 agreed to take performance-enhancing drugs to make an attempt at beating Cesar Cielo's 15-year-old 50-metre freestyle world record. The Enhanced Games concept has been met with widespread criticism, with World Aquatics introducing a new bylaw that will prevent any athlete or official who supports or endorses doping from competing or holding any positions after a Greek swimmer supported by the Enhanced Games 'broke' the world record. 'James is one of my really great mates, so I'm definitely not going to knock him for going across there,' Chalmers was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press on June 8, ahead of Australian trials in Adelaide. 'That is something that is hard in our sport, there's not a huge amount of money or prize money on offer and we kind of do it for the love of it. So I am not going to be a person that slams swimmers for wanting to go across and make some money and give themselves a better opportunity in life or set their families up...' The Enhanced Games will hold their inaugural competition in Las Vegas in May 2026 with swimming, athletics and weightlifting on the agenda. Participants could earn prize money totalling up to US$500,000 (S$642,580) per event plus bonuses for surpassing a world record mark. 'Swimmers have been underpaid for a very long time at the big competitions,' the 26-year-old said. 'I'm very lucky to have a lot of personal sponsors so I do OK for myself, which is nice. But I know that there's a lot of swimmers out there that really struggle... So I really hope that there is a shift, that we are able to get a little bit more prize money for what we do, but I guess we'll see.' Over at the Canadian Swimming Trials, Summer McIntosh stormed to victory in the women's 800m freestyle on June 8, firing another warning shot to Katie Ledecky after narrowly missing out on breaking the American's world record. A day after obliterating the 400m freestyle world record, McIntosh touched in 8min 5.07sec in the 800m, putting her just outside US great Ledecky's world best of 8:04.12 set only in May. 'Going into tonight, I really wanted to see how close I could get to that world record,' the three-time Olympic gold medallist said after her win at the trials in Victoria, British Columbia. 'But, overall, pretty happy with my race and my splits. I was a little bit in no man's land. So I'm happy excited for just moving forward and seeing how I can be pushed when I get some close-quarter racing.' McIntosh won gold in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley at the Paris Olympics and has indicated she'll chase five titles at the world championships in Singapore in July. On Saturday, she shattered the 400m free world record with a time of 3:54.18, slicing more than a second of the record set in 2023 by Australian Ariarne Titmus, who is taking the 2025 season off. The blistering form of McIntosh and Ledecky sets the stage for a titantic duel at the world championships and the Canadian admitted she was relishing the prospect. 'Any time I get to race Katie, it's an honour. I always have to bring my best to be able to challenge her,' McIntosh said on June 8. 'So I'm really excited for our match-ups at the worlds. This is my starting point now and I just try to keep pushing forward.' REUTERS, AFP Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Age
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘I'm not going to slam swimmers': Chalmers' surprising response to Magnussen's Enhanced Games quest
World Aquatics has threatened to ban current athletes who associate with the Enhanced Games or try to compete at next year's event in Las Vegas, even if they don't take performance-enhancing drugs. Enhanced Games boss Aron D'Souza has offered to pay the legal fees of swimmers who want to challenge World Aquatics' ruling. World Aquatics will pay swimmers US $20,000 (AUD $30,000) for each gold medal at next month's world championships in Singapore. There is also a world record bonus of US $30,000 (AUD $46,200). The total swimming prize pool is $4.2 million. The Enhanced Games will pay US $250,000 for each gold medal, plus a US $1 million bonus for world records in either the 50m freestyle or 100m sprint. 'I think it'd be pretty enticing for quite a lot of athletes,' Chalmers said. 'I think that swimmers have been underpaid for a very long time at the big competitions. I've never thought about it a huge amount because you do it for the love of swimming … there's not a lot of money to be made in it. 'Look at the guy that did break the world record and his wife coming out and saying he's been to four Olympics, been in two Olympic finals, been in the world championship final consistently … [the fact] he goes from making $5000 a year to a million in one race is incredible. 'I really hope that there is a shift and that we are able to get a little bit more prize money for what we do. It's threatening World Aquatics a little bit. 'That's why they've come out and said that they're banning swimmers, which yeah, fair enough. But also, those swimmers have come out and announced their retirement.' Australian head coach Rohan Taylor added: 'I'm just focused on this team ... and providing the right environment for them; a safe, clean sport. That's what we're about. I'm not really paying attention [to it].' Chalmers has been in great form since taking 12 weeks off after the Olympics, clocking a 100m freestyle time of 47.27 seconds at the Bergen Swim Festival in Norway in April. It was faster than his silver medal-winning performance in Paris (47.48). The 26-year-old is eyeing off a fourth Olympics in LA in 2028 and preparing for the birth of his first child later this year. Loading 'It was a massive shock for me [the time of 47.27]. I'm pretty confident that I'm swimming fast,' said Chalmers, who won 100m freestyle gold at the 2023 world championships. 'This could be the year, which is really exciting. 'Our goal is to be at the Olympics in 2028 together and have our daughter in the stands watching us. 'I truly believe it's achievable. If I didn't believe it was possible, I would have retired. I'm at nine Olympic medals. It would be amazing to get to 10.' Taylor said of Chalmers' swim: 'It made my day when I saw that. I was very happy for him.'
