FINA has been searching for a replacement host for the 2013 World Junior Championships, after Casablanca backed out earlier this year, and they’ve once again gone back to their great fallback plan, Dubai, according to the official event website.
For some reason, FINA seems deadset on holding as many of its major events as is possible in the UAE, and they awarded this championship to the country despite pulling out of hosting that same year’s senior World Championship meet.
Those eligible for this meet include girls born from 1996-1999 (14-17), and boys born from 1995-1998 (15-18). Dates for the event have yet to be confirmed, but most of the world’s countries send very elite squads to this event. Among the alumni include Australian Cameron McEvoy, New Zealand’s Daniel Bell, Great Britain’s Craig Benson, the Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina, and Americans Dagny Knutson, Lia Neal, and Chelsea Chenault. That’s as compared to the Youth Olympics, which in its inaugural year in 2010 struggled to gain much traction within the swimming community.
This meet, which is of a much smaller scale than the senior World Aquatics Championships, makes more sense for the UAE’s “grass roots” goals for growing their swimming program: one of the cited reasons for pulling out of hosting originally.
Corrupt is to kind
Dubai is a mirage that had to be bailed out by Abu Dabai in 09.
However Etihad & Emirates are good airlines which are unlikely to be bombed by Arab terrorists.
There is that.
Money talks…
Yes! Another big competition in the country of swimming! It’s absolutely ridiculous.
We’ve known about FINA’s sweeping corruption for almost as long as the organization has existed. Of course Dubai is their “easy button”. There’s money in Dubai. As long as the hosts can provide first class accommodations for an inordinate number of FINA officials, and not ask any questions about it, FINA is happy.
Lets not forget Dubai and the World Cup Open Water Race that precipitated the death of Fran Crippen.
Wasn’t it Ayman Saad–executive director of the UAE swimming association who said — “We are sorry that the guy died but what can we do. This guy was tired and he pushed himself a lot,” Ayman Saad said. “He went down 400 meters before the finish line” in Fujairah, added Saad. (Quote from SwimNew online Oct 25,2010)
Yep – in light of that race – Let’s just Award Dubai the Jr World Championships for 2013 –