September Vortex: How Fast Can Sam Go Short-Course As McEvoy 25m Blast Takes To Aussie S/C Stage
The Vortex, our monthly compilation of news, views & links to external coverage of the sport, is available as part of our offer of free content emailed to those who register as 'free' subscribers. Here's a September catch-up after a month of solid work on future harvests ...
September 30
The three-day Australian Short Course Championships get underway tomorrow with the start of October, action at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre set to feature an exhibition one-length 25m blast from 50km Olympic and World champion Cameron McEvoy.
If McEvoy enters the fray as the sprint king to beat, look to Sam Short as top-speed-pace-setter in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle. Short starts his s/c test in the 400m on day 1 - and the chances of a lifetime best are high: his only 400m s/c effort is a 3:41.03, clocked in 2020 when he was 17. Since then, he's claimed global long-course gold (2023) and silver (2025), and his 3:40.68 in the 50m pool makes his fifth fastest ever.
The World s/c 400m record has stood to French 200m Olympic champion of 2012, Yannick Angel, at 3:32.25 set on November 15 that same year at French s/c nationals in Angers, France.
Day 2 brings McEvoy's 25m exhibition. He holds the unofficial world best time at 9.36secs, set on July 6 this year. No 100m free for McEvoy, the four-lap battle likely to be between Matt Temple and Kai Taylor.
Day 3 sees Tara Kinder, World Champs debutant in Singapore back in July and defending 200IM champion. Dolphins teammate at Worlds, Brittany Castelluzzo, favourite in the 200m free, is Kinder's biggest rival in the medley. When action gets underway...
RESULTS IN FULL
https://liveresults.swimming.org.au/sal/2025SC/
Seine Clean-Up Contributes To €6.6bn Cost Of Paris 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games cost 6.6 billion euros of public money, according to a report published yesterday by the Court of Auditors, which concluded that the figure does not represent "excessive budgetary expenditure".
The sum represents not only an increase on the pre-Games estimate of 5.9 billion euros of public spending for the multi-sports showcase arrived at by the Court of Auditors itself. In 2023, it was estimated that the public money needed to organise the Games would be 2.4 billion euros and, in March 2024, the president of the Court of Auditors himself, Pierre Moscovici, estimated that the public investment would be between three and five billion euros.
Of the total amount, 3.02 billion euros was spent on organising the event (which includes 1.44 billion euros on security), while 3.63 billion euros went into infrastructure.
The Court of Auditors noted that part of the increase in the budget was due to the money invested in ensuring that the River Seine was clean enough for the open water swimming events and the triathlon. The clean up is generally seen to have worked and a legacy linked to the Games well worth having, though the story did include illness among athletes that cast a cloud on what was otherwise a triumph for Paris and France, and a fine showcase for open water swimming.
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
It was early 2024 when the president of the French audit body, Pierre Moscovici, said the Paris Olympics would cost the state around $5.9 billion. The former French finance minister and European Union commissioner, Moscovici said the final spend should be seen in light of "the undeniable success of the Games".
He said although the event generated "significant public spending" he emphasised that there had been "no budgetary overspending" and that public costs had been "contained".
A separate $5.2-billion cost of the local organising committee (COJO), representing a surplus of $88 million - and partly privately financed, partly funded by Solideo, the body responsible for delivering Olympic construction projects, had already been made public.
The auditing body said while infrastructure expenditure was "generally well controlled," there was "a particularly erratic process of budgeting for security costs."
Importantly, as things stand, the audit body described the economic impact of Paris 2024 as "modest at this stage" - and "relatively limited in the short term".
Andrew Seliskar Takes Athlete Representative Spot On USA Swimming Board In Tiebreaker
Olympian and International Swimming League pioneer Andrew Seliskar has been elected as an Athlete Representative to the organisation’s Board of Directors. USA Swimming announced:
Due to a tie in the initial round of voting for the 10-Year Athlete Representative on the USA Swimming Board of Directors (“BoD”), the election reopened. Seliskar emerged as the winner and will serve as the voice of athletes at the highest level of USA Swimming’s governance.
Seliskar competed within the USA Swimming ecosystem for more than a decade, progressing from summer league swimmer in Northern Virginia to representing the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Environmental Economics and Policy, Seliskar was an NCAA champion with the Golden Bears before pursuing a professional career.
He currently works as an Associate with McKinsey & Company in Dallas, Texas, and is pursuing his MBA at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. Seliskar’s experience as both an elite athlete and a business strategist positions him to bring a strong perspective to the Board’s athlete voice.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the USA Swimming Board of Directors,” said Natalie Coughlin, USA Swimming Board Chair. “His unique blend of Olympic experience and professional expertise will be invaluable in shaping the future of our sport and ensuring athletes remain at the center of our strategy.”
Seliskar will join the Board effective immediately. The complete list of USA Swimming Board of Directors members is available here.
Also In the September Catch-up Vortex:
- Can LA2028 Deliver Without Breaking The Bank?
- Another Easy Win For Qin
- No Contest For Qin Haiyang As Asian Champs Get Underway
- Katie Ledecky The Leading Light At Golden Goggles
- Michael Brinegar Loses Fight To Clear Name As CAS Confirms 4-Year EPO Ban
- Jack Bauerle Among New Group Of 4 On USA Swimming Board
- RIP Charlie Raeburn (1945-2025)
- Beijing World S/C Dates Revealed
- Kyle Chalmers On A New Footing after ankle ands toe surgery
- Swimming Australia and the Australian Swimmers Association Extend Partnership
- USA Selects Its Home 2026 Pan Pacs Squad
