February 3-4

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry, the first female leader in its 130-year history of the organisation, has acknowledged that 'difficult decisions and conversations' must be had about the Olympic events program f the Games are to retain popularity and inspire future generations.

"Uncomfortable" changes are on the horizon, Coventry told those gathered for the IOC's annual meeting in Milan as she prepares to preside over her first Olympics as boss. The Milan Cortina Winter Games set to open on Friday.

Coventry, the 2004 and 2008 200m backstroke Olympic champion for Zimbabwe, has defined the theme her presidency as "evolution".

Last June, just two months after having agreed to her sports alma mater, swimming, adding six more 50m sprint events to the schedule for the LA2028 Games, Coventry initiated a comprehensive review of more than 450 medal events in sports governed by over 40 federations, among them World Aquatics and its five-rings-worth of disciplines, across both the Summer and Winter Games.

The Dash ruling that added another six events to the Games program that will unfold seven years after Tokyo 2020ne saw swimming add the 1500m for women and 800m free for men:

Games On For Olympic Stroke 50s At LA ’28; 40 Years After Freestyle Dash Joined Pool Party At Seoul ’88

The fastest sprint breaststroke swimmer all-time, Britain’s Adam Peaty welcomed news that confirmed he will train and race on to LA2028. “Huge, huge, huge news, I’ll be there,” Peaty posted within minutes of hearing the news.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Just what Coventry's warning may mean for Aquatics sports remains to be seen, but the initial criteria cited by Coventry is this:

"We have to be honest about what works and sometimes more importantly what doesn’t. It means we have to look our sports, disciplines and events with fresh eyes to make sure we are evolving with our times. We will face difficult decisions and conversations — that’s part of change. I know these discussions can be, and potentially will be, uncomfortable but they are essential if we are to keep the Games strong for generations to come."

The outcomes of this Olympic programme review, part of Ms Coventry’s "Fit For The Future" agenda, at the heart of something of an Olympic staffing crisis recently, are expected to be announced later this year.

Toxic climate in parts of the IOC administration: ‘cultural pattern of fear and retaliation’

EXCLUSIVE: Following internal investigations, IOC director Marie Sallois has been relieved of her duties, but strangely enough, she is now coordinating president Coventry’s ‘Fit for the Future’ project. Who is protecting her? Employees report similar problems in other IOC directorates.

THE INQUISITORJens Weinreich

IOC administration: ‘The whole place is rotten to the core’

IOC employees describe a culture of fear not only in the offices in Lausanne. The situation in Madrid, where a quarter of the IOC workforce is based, is also described as toxic in some departments. The incidents and the way in which management deals with them reveal a worrying Olympic pattern.

THE INQUISITORJens Weinreich

This century, the trend has been for some long-standing sports to come under pressure as Olympic bosses targeted younger audiences by incorporating urban sports such as skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball and opening talks about esports. Breakdance made its debut at Paris 2024. 'Popularity' and 'relevance' have often been passing strengths and weaknesses at times for some sports, though swimming is constantly among the most popular and followed top 3 Olympic sports. That cannot be said of some of the others aquatics disciplines. Says Coventry:

"We have to ensure the Games remain inspiring for young people everywhere. That they reflect their values, their sense of authenticity and their search for something genuine."

She spoke of striking "a balance between tradition and innovation," which raises a red flag for some sports with a long Olympic heritage, modern pentathlon among those whispered to be under pressure.

Coventry cautioned against complacency, saying: "Yes, Paris was a great success but this moment is now in the past. It would be dangerous to rest on our laurels."

Nowacki Joins AP Race

Great Britain's European Junior Record Holder and double World Junior Champion Filip Nowacki has joined AP Race and SWANS as an official ambassador.

In 2025, Filip made serious waves, claiming both World and European junior titles in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke, and taking home the top junior prize at the AP Race London International.

Here's Filip making the announcement:

In other GB news:

Matt Richards Launches Sponza To Bring Brands & Athletes Together

“Accessing brand opportunities wasn’t straightforward. The process was often manual, unclear & limited to a small group of athletes ... brands want authentic partnerships without inflated costs or unnecessary friction ... [it] led me to build Sponza.” - Matt Richards, founder

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

World No1 Moesha Johnson Leads 10 Dolphins To Open Water World Cup

Double World champion Moesha Johnson will a school of 10 Dolphins, including seasoned international podium-placers Chelsea Douyere (nee Gubecka), Kyle Lee and Nick Sloman into battle at the 2026 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Spain next month.

The team is completed by Australia top-five ranked open water swimmers:

Women

Moesha Johnson (Miami, QLD; Magdeburg Performance Centre, Germany)
Chelsea Douyere-Gubecka (Chandler QLD)
Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW)
Tiana Kritzinger (Rackley, QLD)
Sienna Deurloo (Toowoomba Grammar, QLD)

Men

Nick Sloman (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
Kyle Lee (North Coast, WA)
Tom Raymond (Kawana Waters, QLD)
Bailey Armstrong (Miami, QLD)
Euan Linley (Knox Pymble, NSW)

Australia will also send 10 developers to theWorld Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships at Lago Sur in Santa Fe, a freshwater lake in Argentina, from September 3-6.

The Junior Dolphins School:

10km Boy’s 18-19
Daniel Cater (The Hills, NSW)
Lachlan Evans (St Peters Western, QLD)

10km Girl’s 18-19
Bianca Monaco (North Coast, WA)
Eleanor Flowers (North Coast, WA

7.5km Boys’ 16-17
Riley Meares (St Peters Western, QLD)
William Thorpe (St Peters Western, QLD)

7.5km Girl’s 16-17
Olivia Galea (Chandler, QLD)
Isobel Mulcahy (Carlile, NSW)

5km Boys’ 14-15
Mason Kopff (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD)

5km Girls’ 14-15
Mia Hoo (Carlile, NSW)

Apart from the individual events, the junior program will also include the 3km sprint knockout for each gender and the 4×1500m Mixed Relay.

Speaking through Swimming Australia, national Open Water Head Coach Fernando Possenti, said:

“I am so excited by this 10-member team and what they can do over the next four years. We have seen the senior team grow internationally so much in the past 18 months. And now we have the next tier of athletes coming through and I know that these swimmers, and our program, can challenge the best swimmers in the world.”

Also in the February Vortex:

• Angharad Evans and Ben Higson Added to Team Scotland for Glasgow 2026
• Euro Meet Highlights From Rosendahl, Richardson, Shortt, Richards, Colbert, Corbeau and Nowacki

Timeline

On This Day In History - When Madison & Jones Set The Global Pace

Timeline - The SOS Daily Trawl of official World long-course records (plus all pre 1954 standards, all pools and metrics) set this day throughout history.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Legends in our SOS Hall of Fames in the Timeline this week:

Helene Madison - Queen Of Waves

The American ace set 20 individual World freestyle records and at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, claimed three gold medals in the pool, over 100 and 400m freestyle and as a member of the 4x100m freestyle with USA teammates

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Arne Borg - Sweden’s ‘Big Bad Man’ Of The Distance Pool Who Took On The World & Won

The 1928 Olympic 1500m freestyle champion set 32 World records on distances from 300m to 1500m and claimed as the premier endurance beast of the 1920s, with 5 Olympic medals and 5 European titles among 8 podiums at the first two continental championships

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Eleanor Holm Sets The Pace Before Olympic Fame Leads To Celebrity Fortune

American pioneer competed at the 1928 Olympics four years before she claimed the 1932 Olympic 100m backstroke title at a home Games in Los Angeles. She would gain greater notoriety four years later after being barred from the USA team during the voyage to the Berlin 1936 Olympics

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Karen Muir - The Trailblazer Denied Olympic Honours By South Africa’s Apartheid Regime

The South African backstroke pioneer of the pool established 15 World records between 1965, at 12 the youngest global-standard setter in history, and 1969. Her career included no international podiums, as a result of her nation’s racist apartheid regime

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord