Normally Swimwatch avoids getting involved in international sport. There is enough to talk about in New Zealand swimming. However two events occurred this week that do merit attention.

First the world doping agency has approved the reinstatement of the Russian Federation into world sport. That is bad news indeed. The recent expulsion of Russia was long overdue and needed to continue if that country was going to change. When Alison was running at her best, back in the 1970s, competing against the female runners from Russia was so blatantly unfair. In 1979 Alison ran a 1000 meter race in Berlin that ranked her 4^th in the world. Two of the runners ahead of her were Russians and were banned in later years for using steroids. I have no doubt that they were using steroids in 1979 as well. They just had not been caught. There is a big difference in meet invitations, sponsorship opportunities, income and recognition between being 4^th in the world and 2^nd.

That experience was personal, upfront and real. It certainly brought home to me the hurt caused not only by cheating Federations but by countries that let the cheats get away with cheating.

A few years later, in 1991, I was the coach of Toni Jeffs when she swam in the World Short Course Finals in Majorca, Spain. The event was the forerunner of what was to become the World Short Course Championships. The New Zealand team was Toni, Danyon Loader and Phillippa Langrell. I believe, to this day, it is the first New Zealand team to travel to a world class event and have every team member win a medal. Toni won a bronze in the 50 freestyle. Ahead of her were two swimmers from east European communist countries. Both later had drug test problems. Once again there is a huge difference between being 1^st and 3^rd in the world.

And so for a second time I experienced the hurt of having an athlete beaten by cheats. Sadly, of course, I am not alone. Many coaches and athletes can tell similar stories. It is not fair. It is unjust and it is still happening.

I am proud that New Zealand was one of a minority of countries that stood up for clean athletes and voted for the ban on Russia to continue. Sport needs the protection offered by the ban. For 50 years the Russian Federation has shown itself to be a dishonest cheat. When the country is led by a politician who thinks nothing of state sponsored international murder it is not hard to imagine that the morality of international state sponsored doping presents him with very few problems. Concern about his country’s swimmers cheating is not going to keep Putin awake at night. Winning is all that ex-KGB spy worries about. So thank you New Zealand for taking a stand for the good guys. Now all we need to do is find a way of getting Russia kicked out of world sport again.

And second, on the international scene, I see today that the International Swimming League (ISL) and American marketing company the Wasserman Media Group presented, to an American Swim Coaches conference, their concept of a pro swimming league with pro teams competing frequently in competitions globally. ISL presented near and long-term goals seeking feedback from the American swimming coaching community.

Supporting that is something Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) should be doing. The World Cup circuit is looking old and tired. It is in need of replacement. The old days of FINA spending only 5% of its income on paying athletes is no longer acceptable. The concept of a pro swimming league touring the world, paying athletes at least 50% of their income, should be an ideal replacement. SNZ should support the concept. Just imagine the good it would do for New Zealand swimming to have three or four of New Zealand’s best swimmers touring the world in a professional league. Excitement in the sport and participation would grow. The country’s best athletes would strive harder to reach a level where they could earn a good living from their sport. The idea is nothing but positive.

But will we hear anything from Antares Place? I doubt it. You see a world league does nothing to improve the income or power of Johns and Francis. In fact a world league would cause them to lose power. They would never vote for that no matter what good it did for the sport. No, in Antares Place a world league is not nearly as important as the Francis Folly. Just give Francis and Johns a list of fictitious numbers invented by a university academic  mathematician and leave them to shipwreck the sport on the rocks of the Francis Folly. Don’t worry them with the dream of Perry or Hunter or Clareburt or Fa’amausili or Galyer traveling the world, possibly becoming rich because they are good at swimming. That’s not part of the Johns and Francis plan at all. But it should be.

And so we have two international news items this week that could have a profound effect on swimming in New Zealand; one bad item of drug news where New Zealand stood proud and did the right thing and one item of good news where SNZ are, as usual, nowhere to be seen.