Tuesday, October 28

AP Race London Showcase Set For Next May 23-25

AP Race's London International showcase at the British capital's Olympic pool will unfold on May 23-25 next year, the group has announced.

You can book your seat and places at the event in the pre-sale at:

• www.aprace.club

Adam Peaty, co-founder and the Olympic-champion face of the eponymous project, completed the World Cup tour in Toronto last weekend by racing in the final of the 200m breaststroke, after having swum his fastest 50m and 100m efforts of the series to finish second in both sprint events on his comeback to racing after an absence since the Paris Olympics, where he claimed silver just 0.02sec shy of what would have been a third straight victory in the same event in the Games pool, a feat that, among men, only Michael Phelps has ever achieved.

Here's Adam's thoughts and perspective on World Cup tour, the full interview to follow this week after an unavoidable delay:

Peaty’s Perspective: Finding Balance In A Best-Of-Both Worlds, After-Burners On Hold

“I wouldn’t say we’ve set a plan in which this is a stepping stone ... we’re looking to LA2028. If I start to put the after-burners on before I reach the stratosphere, we’re going to burn out. We’ll do that whenever we need to.” - Adam Peaty

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Thorpe Joins Brisbane 2032 Athletes Group

Ian Thorpe, five-time Olympic gold medallist, has joined the Athletes and Sport Advisory Group for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. The body was created to ensure that the voices of athletes are "at the heart of the organisation".

Olympic 400m, 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle champion and 200m silver medallist at Sydney 2000, Thorpe knows what it feels like to race at a home Olympics:

Thorpe Delves Into His Olympic Dreams & Duress 25 Years On From Sydney 2000

“I appreciate when people say ‘you don’t know what you did for the nation’. It’s overwhelming when I hear that, or how much joy I brought to someone’s life. To have that impact on the national psyche is an enormous accomplishment but it wasn’t just me, it was all of us in the Olympic team.”

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

He followed up with gold in the 200m and 400m freestyle and silvers in the 100m and 4x200m free at Athens 2004.

Thorpe is among those athletes who have spoke about their athlete-transition-to-rest-of-life struggles. In that sense, Brisbane organisers would do well to dig a little deeper in search of the Athlete voice and the wisdom of years, like Shane Gould and this insightful contribution of late:

Shane Gould’s Latest Winner: A Vital Guide For Athletes & Coaches On Career Transition

Book Review: the Aussie National Treasure’s book is a gem of a read with invaluable guidance from a swim great who “messed up” her own ‘retirement’ from the fast lane but down decades of challenge & learning soaked up vital lessons she now shares on a subject the sport still struggles with

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

More about Shane and the record feat unmatched since 1972:

Shane Gould & The Five-Medal Feat Never Matched In The 50 Years Since Her Olympic Epic At Munich 1972

“Shane was like a high-decibel concert that had such an impact, it left your ears ringing. But it left you still humming the tunes long after it came to an end” - Mike Wenden. This file forms part of our coverage of the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Games, all bound for our archive

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

And, taking of Munich 1972....

Munich's Residents Vote In Favour Of Olympic Bid for 2036 onwards

A vote of residents on whether Munich should bid to host the Olympic Games passed comfortably on Sunday, with more than 60% in favour.

Bavaria's state premier Markus Söder said the result was "a very strong signal" in the contest with other German locations holding their own local referenda. Berlin, Hamburg, and the Rhine-Ruhr region are all testing the mood for a German bid for the Games from 2036 onwards, the earliest date raising concerns about hosting 100 years after the Berlin 1936 Games with all its swastikas, Nazi salutes and kowtowing to the authoritarianism of fascists on a warpath that would end in their defeat beyond catastrophic consequences for many millions.

Opponents to hosting the Olympics, such as the “NOlympia” alliance, have concerns that the games could create more city debt, while also raising rents and living costs for residents. The German Olympic Committee will make a decision about any German bid by September next year at the start of a process that may end in a vote to choose a host city/nation by members of the International Olympic Committee in 2029.

All European Union citizens with Munich as their primary residence for at least two months - about 1.1 million people - got to vote in Sunday's poll.

The question they voted on was this:

"Are you in favor of the [Bavarian] state capital Munich bidding for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be held either in 2036, 2040, or 2044?"

Investigative journalist Jens Weinreich published a list of 36 facts about the Munich vote, including a strong of official fibs ... for those who read German or those signed up for his Sport and Politics service, where content is often also repeated into English:

36 Fakten zum Bürgerentscheid in München und zur teuersten deutschen Olympiabewerbung aller Zeiten

Kurz und schmerzlos heute, ein geballtes Paket der olympischen Bildung: Fakten, so wichtig – in Konkurrenz zu gefühlten Wahrheiten und Fake News, die vom sportpolitischen Komplex der Olympiaplaner verbreitet werden.

SPORT & POLITICSJens Weinreich

Aussie SWIMSAFER Week 2025 Launched Ahead Of November 17-23 Events

Swim Australia has launched what will be the 15th year of SWIMSAFER from November 17-23.

SwimSafer is a national campaign "dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of learning to swim and staying safe in and around water".

Gary Toner is in the driving seat as EO, while Swim Australia invited the swim community Down Under to register for the event webinar onboard November 5 with the following note:

Over the years, we’ve been proud to have some of Australia’s most respected champions as SWIMSAFER Ambassadors, including Dawn Fraser, Leisel Jones, Brenden Hall, Alexander Graham, Giaan Rooney, Jade Edmistone, and Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins. Their voices have helped amplify the message that drowning is preventable and that swimming lessons save lives.
Since its inception, SWIMSAFER Week has shared vital water safety messages including Float to Survive, Every Child Must Learn to Swim, and Drowning Can Be Preventable with Layers of Protection. Messages that reinforce the importance of water safety education and community awareness.

We’ll not only share the history and impact of SWIMSAFER but also focus on practical ways your school can be part of this milestone. Learn how to use the digital collateral—posters, social media tiles, certificates, activity sheets, and videos—to engage your community, run competitions, and showcase your school’s commitment to water safety all year round.

By the end of the session, you’ll have clear ideas and tools to celebrate your school’s achievements, advocate for water safety, and bring SWIMSAFER to life in your community.

• More information is available on swimsafer.org.au
• The date: and time: Wednesday 5 November 2025 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (UTC+10 ... session times listed are in AEST QLD time. AEDT is at 1pm - 2pm).

LOCATION
Online event access details will be provided by the event organiser... there's an organisers contact form at this page for further info and registration:

Monday, October 27

For Subscribers - the SOS Forum

THEMA - Deep Clean the Olympics - PART 3 of 4:

FORUM: Kane & Whether Olympic Leaders Are Able To Park IOC “Do- As-I-Say-Not-As-I-Do” Culture

We ended part 2 last week quoting an Olympic legal eagle: “No East German athlete failed an Olympic doping test ...”. In fact, they did, in large numbers in tests conducted at an IOC-accredited laboratory. Action is unavoidable if integrity is to be restored on new boss Kirsty Coventry’s watch

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Also In the October Vortex and SOS Coverage:

• Arno Kamminga Joins WR-setter Caspar Corbeau In Dutch Breaststroke Strike Force at Euro S/C
• Maxime Grousset's High 5 at French Nationals

World Cup action:

2025 Cup Tour Ends With High-Five Rush Of World Records

Pioneering global standards fall to Australians Lani Pallister and Kaylee McKeown, Hungarian Hubert Kós, Dutchman Caspar Corbeau, and American Kate Douglass, with Kós and Douglass crowned King and Queen of the North American season

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

How The Cup Banked A 54.5k Pay Day For Kharun & Ripened A Maple Rivalry With Liendo

Swimming Canada’s take on Ilya Kharun’s World Cup tour campaign speaks to what it means to the athlete and where swimming finds itself on the evolutionary stream as a sport that demands highly professional preparation but is still learning how to dress its shopwindow in between Olympics

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

O’Callaghan Doubles Down On WR For 200 Free Triple Crown

1:49.36 WR. “If you set your mind to it, you can achieve it. And if you put the hard work in it and have a great support team behind you, anything’s possible,” says Aussie ace, citing her physio, coach Dean Boxall and ” everyone who’s done a little nitty gritty for me to perform on this day.”

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Kharun Joins Triple Crown Crew & Liendo Rips 45.3 100 Free To Thrill The Torontonian Throng

“I’ve been tired from all the races. (In the last 25 metres) I was thinking just get my hand on the wall. I wanted to win, and I got it done. The crowd really pushes us and I’m just happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity we have (to compete in Toronto). It’s very nice.” - Ilya Kharun

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Liendo 1st Black Swimmer & 2nd Canadian Since Gery in 1990 To Claim S/C 100 ′ Fly World Record

At the home and last round of the 2025 World Cup in Toronto, Josh Liendo goes 10.26sec, 22.28 at half-way & is still 0.2 shy of Swiss ace Noe Ponti’s WR pace at the last turn. He then nails a 12.86 homecomer for his first World mark as 11th Canadian man to hold a world swim record

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

• World Cup Marks For Kaylee McKeown, Lani Pallister & Caspar Corbeau
• Kate Douglass Downs 2017 World & Cup Marks Of Cate Campbell & Sarah Sjöström With 50.19 In 100 Free
• Regan Smith Snaps Her Own 100 Back WR To Put 10K in The Bank
• Midas-Touch McKeown Strikes Again + Cup Marks For Pallister, Smith, Walsh & Douglass
• Gretchen Walsh Limbers Up For Back Battle With Kaylee McKeown

Ariarne Titmus Finds Life Beyond The Black Line “Just a Little Bit More Important to Me”

Dolphin 778, Olympic 400m Free Champion and first Australian woman to retain an Olympic crown in the pool since Dawn Fraser in 1964 announces her retirement from swimming with immediate effect

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Wunderlich & Other ‘Swim Across America’ Wonders Up For Daytona Debut To Fight Cancer

Olympian and five-times Worlds medallist will join the fund-raising shoal at the Inaugural Swim Across America - Daytona Open Water 1-Mile Charity Swim on December 7 almost 30 years into his passion for raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

• Aussies Kaylee McKeown & Lani Pallister Top Day 3 World Cup Points Bill - 1 Round Down, 2 To Go
• Swim Ireland Severs Ties With Shane Ryan [plus, commentary]
• Australia Calls On Meta & X To Remove Fake Quotes Falsely Attributed To Mollie O'Callaghan
• Gretchen Walsh Whistles To Her 7th World S/C Mark With 23.72 50 'Fly
• Regan Smith Takes Down Liu's Shiny Suited Cup Mark & Gretchen Walsh Makes It 2 World Cup Marks On Day 1 Of 9
• Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino Land 90-Day Bans Over Singapore 2025 Shoplifting Arrest
• Walsh, Ponti, Marchand Top The Bill As World Cup Leaves Blocks; McIntosh Out Through Illness
• Australian Study Highlights Family Cost Of Junior Swimming
• No Aquatics Rules Broken But Indian Fed Facing Pressure In 'Controversy' Over Flag On Water Polo Bathers
• Hector Pardoe Is Athlete Of The Year At BBC Green Sport Awards
• Mum's The Word: Sarah Sjostrom Back In The Swim
• Three-time Irish Olympian Shane Ryan Retires From Fast Lane
• Two New Faces On Swimming Canada Board
• Cameron McEvoy Matches His 9.36 World Best In Aussie S/C 25m Exhibition
• Sam Short - Swiftest Aussie s/c 1500 Freestyler since Grant Hackett
• Sam Short On 3:36 in 400 Free As Aussie S/C Champs Get Underway in Melbourne

The SOS FORUM for subscribers

Deep Clean The Olympics, a 4-part mini-series:

Part 1:

FORUM - Honeymoon Over: Time For IOC Boss Kirsty & Aquatics Allies To Send Doping Shame To Coventry

The sporting crime of the 20th Century, and biggest recorded systematic fraud in the history of sport, hangs over the Olympic president, her allies in Aquatics & other IFs. If they want a legacy worth having they must - at last, and at the very least - reach for reconciliation. Here’s why…

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 2:

FORUM: Will Kirsty Coventry Break The Mould Of IOC Malaise On The Biggest Scam In Sports History?

No IOC president has ever found the courage & integrity to reach for reconciliation & recognition for those caught up in the GDR doping fraud. Can a woman reach for what the men who went before her failed to achieve, look Enhancement In the eye and wag her winning finger?

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord