I have often heard people say that there shouldn't be politics in sport, and when I (and the NZ swimming community) first started having issues with Swimming New Zealand I too naively thought this.
But I came to realize there always will be politics in sport and that I had to accept it, regardless of whether what was happening was good or bad, or right or wrong. Now the governing body of all aquatic sports FINA is showing its true colors, that it cares more about lining it's own pockets than it does about the athletes it is suppose to represent!
George Bovell, from Trinidad & Tobago, an Olympic bronze medalist and world champion has recently opened the can of worms highlighting FINA's choices that clearly prove it is a complete sell out.
Half the reason I retired from swimming was due to the terrible way I was getting treated by Swimming NZ. And now I'm seeing that this is happening at a global level from FINA. When I decided to retired I didn't want any other athletes to have to endure what I went through. I just wanted to swim, doing the sport I loved, but I was constantly running up against barriers and walls created by Swimming NZ.
So I decided upon retiring to speak out and went public with how I was really getting treated. I let the public know some of what was really happening and why my last two years of swimming were affected and never as successful as they should have been. This was not easy to do, as Swimming NZ was the hand that feed me and cutting it off was not an easy decision, even though I was retiring.
But it was the right decision, and did bring about some change (though extremely slowly and still not satisfactory to this day). And this is why I take my hat off to George Bovell and fully support him with his great article. There needs to be change in FINA's, decisions, ruling, policies, etc and this will only come about by the swim community and public knowing what is really happening and then putting pressure on them.
Sport is about people first, the athletes and coaches, without them there would be no reason for FINA or other governing bodies to exist. The core question that should always be asked first and foremost is - Will this help the swimmers swim better? If not then why would they go ahead other than to line their own pockets.
Read the article below or click here for the link and you can decide...
But I came to realize there always will be politics in sport and that I had to accept it, regardless of whether what was happening was good or bad, or right or wrong. Now the governing body of all aquatic sports FINA is showing its true colors, that it cares more about lining it's own pockets than it does about the athletes it is suppose to represent!
George Bovell, from Trinidad & Tobago, an Olympic bronze medalist and world champion has recently opened the can of worms highlighting FINA's choices that clearly prove it is a complete sell out.
Half the reason I retired from swimming was due to the terrible way I was getting treated by Swimming NZ. And now I'm seeing that this is happening at a global level from FINA. When I decided to retired I didn't want any other athletes to have to endure what I went through. I just wanted to swim, doing the sport I loved, but I was constantly running up against barriers and walls created by Swimming NZ.
So I decided upon retiring to speak out and went public with how I was really getting treated. I let the public know some of what was really happening and why my last two years of swimming were affected and never as successful as they should have been. This was not easy to do, as Swimming NZ was the hand that feed me and cutting it off was not an easy decision, even though I was retiring.
But it was the right decision, and did bring about some change (though extremely slowly and still not satisfactory to this day). And this is why I take my hat off to George Bovell and fully support him with his great article. There needs to be change in FINA's, decisions, ruling, policies, etc and this will only come about by the swim community and public knowing what is really happening and then putting pressure on them.
Sport is about people first, the athletes and coaches, without them there would be no reason for FINA or other governing bodies to exist. The core question that should always be asked first and foremost is - Will this help the swimmers swim better? If not then why would they go ahead other than to line their own pockets.
Read the article below or click here for the link and you can decide...
Follow George on Twitter: @GeorgeBovell
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