In what seemed to be more of a formality than anything else, FINA has added high diving as its official 6th discipline at the bureau’s meeting that began Saturday in Doha, Qatar.
High diving has become a very popular discipline within the Red Bull-sponsored ‘action sports’ package, but FINA introduced it to a World Championship for the first time in Barcelona in 2013.
While the number of competitors is still sparse, fan interest has grown in the event that sees men dive off of a 27-meter platform and women dive off of a 20-meter platform. Diving from such heights will see competitors impact the water at over 50 miles per hour.
Read more about how high diving works here.
In Barcelona, the men’s gold medal was won by Orlando Duque from Colombia, while the women’s title went to American Cesilie Carlton.
FINA has already launched a High Diving World Cup, which had its first event in Kazan, Russia from August 8th-10th.
Hinting at this pending announcement, FINA earlier this year revealed a new logo with a 6th star, presumably representing the 6th discipline.
Don’t black out.
What’s the rationale for the 7 meter differential in the men’s and women’s platform? Also, were any safety stats reviewed/safety studies done? Seems more like a circus act to me, but I’m sure FINA would approve anything that might boost attendance/revenue.