The Technical Swim Committee (TSC) and Technical Open Water Swim Committee (TOWSC) have both undergone a few changes in membership for the 2013-2017 term period. Both committees make new appointments every four years.
For the TSC, the most notable change is the appointment of a new Vice Chairman, where Mr. Kiril Todorov from Mexico has been appointed to replace Australia’s Don Blew, who had held the position since 2009. Mr. Blew had also been Chairman of the TSC between 2005-2009. Mr. Todorov is the President of the Mexican Swimming Federation and he oversees all swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming, open water swimming, and masters swimming in Mexico. His appointment is particularly relevant for the next four years, as Guadalajara, Mexico is set to host the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships.
Aside from the three aforementioned positions, the Events Sub-Committee, and the Bureau Liaison, the TSC has also expanded from 9 members to 12 total members. This allows for 2 representatives from Africa, 3 representatives from North/South America, 2 representatives from Asia, 3 representatives from Europe, and 2 representatives from Oceania.
As for the Chair and Honorary Secretary positions, Mrs. Carol Zaleski of the United States will retain her command of the TSC while Mr. Soren Korbo of Denmark will retain his status as Honorary Secretary, a position that he has held since 1996. It is good to see some consistency in committee oversight, especially with the recent proposal to modify the rules regarding the number of underwater butterfly kicks allowed in breaststroke. This will likely be a topic that resurfaces in upcoming years, and more information about the FINA Technical Swimming Congress’ most recent decision to reject any changes can be found here.
There are still a handful of new members in the TSC. New members include: Mrs. Daphne Bird (South Africa), Mr. Christer Magnusson (Sweden), Mr. Jerzy Kowalski (Poland), Mr. Ryan Arblaster (Australia), Mrs. Lesley Huckins (New Zealand), and Mr. Jose De Jesus Benitez (Puerto Rico).
As for the TOWSC, there were no changes in committee oversight. Mr. Ronnie Wong of Hong Kong retains his hold on the Chair of the Committee, while Mr. Jorge Delgado Panchana of Ecuador will continue to be the Vice Chairman. Mr. Andrea Prayer of Italy will also retain his post as Honorary Secretary. Similar to the consistency argument made for the TSC, the TOWSC’s decision not to perform a changing of the guard in committee oversight may prove to be altogether beneficial. A strong foundation to the committee will be necessary since the recent proposition to establish a maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius/87.8 degrees Fahrenheit may require constant attention over the next four years. More can be read about this proposition here. Further commentary by Mike Lewis can also be found here.
There are still plenty of new members to the TOWSC though. New appointees include: Mr. Joaquim Pestana Costa of Angola, Mr. David Ngugi of Kenya, Mr. Fernando Terrilli of Argentina, Mr. Abdulmonem Al Alawi of Oman, Mr. Mubarek Abdulla Al Zahmi of the U.A.E., Mr. Jean Paul Narce of France, Mr. William Ford of Australia, Mrs. Christiane Fanzeres of Brazil, Mr. Ayman Saad of Egypt, and Mr. Jon Hestoy of the Faroe Islands.
A full list of all new FINA committee members can be found here.
