Day 1 of the 2025 World Cup witnessed series records from Regan Smith and Gretchen Walsh - and more speedy process and prep from the magnificent medley flying machines Marchand, Kos, Foster and Casas state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-o...

FORUM: The sporting crime of the 20th Century, & 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 reach for reconciliation ... state-of-swimming.ghost.io/forum-honeym...

In the Vortex: Walsh, Ponti, McIntosh & Marchand Top World Cup Bill; Aussie Study Highlights Junior Swimming costs to family; No Aquatics Rules Broken But Indian swim bosses In 'Controversy' Over Flag On Water Polo Bathers; +Top Honour for Hector Pardoe state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-o...

Forum: Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, Summer McIntosh and Simona Quadarella are all enhanced. Time to reclaim the word and show that "an increase or improvement in quality, value, or extent" of the human being knocks manipulation into a cocked hat state-of-swimming.ghost.io/forum-the-mi...

Should 25m free join the program as a 7th opportunity for freestylers? Cam McEvoy thinks so, after matching his world best 9.36sec world-best time in an exhibition race in the unofficial distance. state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-o...

Vortex updates: How Fast Can Sam Go Short-Course As McEvoy 25m Blast Takes To Aussie S/C Stage; Seine Clean-Up Contributes To €6.6bn Cost Of Paris 2024; Andrew Seliskar Takes Athlete Representative Spot On USA Swimming Board In Tiebreaker state-of-swimming.ghost.io/september-vo...

IPC voted 111-55 against a full suspension (11 abstained) of Russia, then 91-77 (8 abstained) against a partial suspension of a nation waging war on others, and where sport and state are intrinsically linked Photo: Faye Rogers, of TeamGB, by Ian MacNicol state-of-swimming.ghost.io/para-worlds-...

Vortex catch-up: Can LA2028 Deliver Without Breaking The Bank? Why Is Qin Racing Below Class? And other September swim lines state-of-swimming.ghost.io/september-vo...

Weekend Essay: What can swimming learn from the book of hostile takeovers in its bid to keep at bay the wolf in victim’s clothing howling ‘unfair play’ because the hunted insist on rules the hunter simply won't abide by state-of-swimming.ghost.io/forum-by-the...

If the rumours prove correct that Kyle Chalmers has rejected a $3.8m offer from the doping-friendly games, he'll be the toast of world swimming, as global regulators and lawyers prepare to respond to a legal challenge from a trade that allows drugs state-of-swimming.ghost.io/kyle-chalmer...

“Swimming is a life skill. I didn’t learn to swim to be an Olympic champ. My parents sent me to swim lessons to be safe ... School swimming is the only way to ensure all children have access to water safety skills & knowledge" - Duncan Scott state-of-swimming.ghost.io/scott-wants-...

SRY sex tests gto end 25 years of unfair play in athletics as global regulator reveals that 50-60 athletes who went through male puberty were finalists in big international female racing since 2000, around the time the IOC abandoned checks state-of-swimming.ghost.io/athletics-ba...

Many reasons why Miller is mistaken ... including this one... state-of-swimming.ghost.io/why-cody-mil...

Is the old wave of the recently retired selling the new wave of swimmers and swimming down the drain? Cody Miller gives us his 5 reasons - plus a bonus point - why he thinks 'enhancement' will be a 'huge success': and SOS tackles each one, finger wag by wag state-of-swimming.ghost.io/why-cody-mil...

USA Swimming - Forum, Part 4: are there enough people left in place who can help new CEO Kevin Ring to understand the issues, separate them from PR and tackle the real work first? Good question - & a few answers in our conclusion to this mini-series state-of-swimming.ghost.io/where-is-the...

Sydney 2000 - Ian Thorpe 25yrs on: “I appreciate when people say ‘you don’t know what you did for the nation’. It’s overwhelming ... To have that impact on the national psyche is enormous - but it wasn’t just me, it was all the Olympic team." state-of-swimming.ghost.io/thorpe-delve...

It's 25 Years to the day since Ian Thorpe thundered to 2 golds, day 1 of his Olympic debut, inc. this: Klim v Ervin: 48.18 to 48.89; Fydler v Walker, 48.48, 48.31; Callus v Lezak, 48.71, 48.42; Thorpe Vs Hall Jr., 48.30, 48.24- AUS WR 4 Gold -📸PB Kraemer state-of-swimming.ghost.io/sydney-2000-...

How to get more swims from fewer swimmers at the Olympics: tough cuts for new 50s; relay squeeze comes with greater flexibility; freedom to swim secondary events with no time cut. Budapest 2027 Worlds will be a dress rehearsal of the LA 2028 schedule state-of-swimming.ghost.io/how-world-aq...

Revolution in Olympic swim qualification! World Aquatics to couple World Cup to tickets for the Los Angeles Olympics for new 50m stroke events, with top 6 finishers in each final on 2027 Cup Tour landing automatic qualification to the big showdown in 2028 state-of-swimming.ghost.io/olympic-50m-...

Forum: Have governors been playing their only role in the USA's "World No 1 status": to deliver the very best environment in which swim stars are formed? The Ghost of USA Swimming Past guides us to places where so much time, energy and goodwill was lost state-of-swimming.ghost.io/navigating-t...

Coaches at BSCA have good reason to oppose Ben Proud's support for the 'doping games; it all evokes nightmares of the GDR era, Sharron Davies, long-time campaigner for justice for those impacted by the steroid era, among those expressing disappointment state-of-swimming.ghost.io/british-coac...

Editorial. 'Disappointed, gutted, a kick in the teeth', all fair comment. But how the Gods of Morality must have laughed and cried themselves off their High Ground when extremely disappointing blazers saids they were 'extremely disappointed' in Ben Proud state-of-swimming.ghost.io/where-the-do...

"I really respect the sport I've been part of, and I would never step back in knowing I've done something which isn't in the rules." - Ben Proud as he opts out of clean sport for a future in the doping-friendly world state-of-swimming.ghost.io/ben-proud-ac...

End in sight for FINA dispute with swimmers over International Swimming League as World Aquatics settles, pending court approval, and sets up support fund. ISL case not quite over: "... the lawsuit filed by the ISL against FINA remains pending"... state-of-swimming.ghost.io/world-aquati...

Sharon Van Rouwendaal, the Dutch open water ace who in Paris last year became the first swimmer ever to claim the Olympic marathon crown twice, has called time on her epic career - read her reflections in full state-of-swimming.ghost.io/marathon-que...

New boss at USA Swimming emphasises his work in golf and a focus on creating "a modernised revenue plan" as he takes the World No 1 swim nation reigns at a federation facing serious challenges at home and abroad state-of-swimming.ghost.io/will-kevin-r...

World Juniors conclude in Otopeni, Romania with USA's Rylee Erisman taking her tally of podiums to 8, 5 golds in the mix; Japan's Mizuki Hirai is 1st woman at Juniors to race inside 57sec over 100 'fly; & Ireland's John Shortt makes it a backstroke double state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-a...

FORUM: The Ghost of USA Swimming Past spirits us away on a flypast of USA World-title campaigns since 1973. Singapore 2025 contributed to the 2020s being a low point in American swimming history down the decades, on the way to a home Olympics in 2028 state-of-swimming.ghost.io/forum-the-gh...

A combined swimming medals table would grant Australia top of the table with 1 more gold than the USA, while Germany is third best nation. The case for and against pooling open water & tank prizes, given that theatres include the same actors & teammates state-of-swimming.ghost.io/2025-worlds-...

At World juniors, Britain celebrates gold for Filip Nowacki, his 2:07.3 200BR victory faster than the World senior crown too + 2 silvers: Jacob Mills, 50m free & Amalie Smith, 200IM just shy of Audrey Derivaux & the American's 3rd 200m victory this week state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-a...

At World Junior Championships, Britain's Filip Nowacki added a second title for the 100-200m breaststroke double, his 2:07.32 adding to his 2025 bull run of breaststroke crowns, including two European junior titles (and 8 golds at the Island Games) state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-a...

Richard Scarce, a long-serving member of the Australian Dolphins coaching staff, has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Sydney University Swimming Performance Centre as the latest wave in the resurgence of swimming in NSW state-of-swimming.ghost.io/scarce-leaps...

Heartened by a shift in direction at Swim England after the association adopted independent reform recommendations, some now fear that an amended policy backtracks on moves that had aimed to ensure those in power were held to account for historic failings state-of-swimming.ghost.io/stakeholders...

GBR's Filip Nowacki claims World Junior 100m breaststroke title with a third national youth mark inside Adam Peay's old standard; Max Morgan delivers Brit 1-3; & Carlos D'Ambrosio of Italya fells David Popovici's World junior record with 1:45.1 200 free state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-a...

World Junior Championships get underway without the outstanding youth of the year because Yu Zidi, 12, is too young; and @summermcintoshh leads star lineup for World Cups in October state-of-swimming.ghost.io/the-vortex-a...

It's a fortnight since we entered the last weekend of a World Championships anticipating a thriller of a women's 800m freestyle. Expectations were exceeded by the show-stopper of the meet. A great place to start our review of Singapore 2025 state-of-swimming.ghost.io/2025-worlds-...

Ser Miang Ng, IOC finance chief, IOC member and former IOC Vice-President from Singapore, is the subject of another integrity complaint two years after he was fined for interfering in World Sailing elections state-of-swimming.ghost.io/coventrys-si...

Yes ... good piece citing some of the reasons why Brett Hawke is wrong and unwelcome in pools where anti-doping controls are obligatory (and that regardless of whether or how many cheat or not)

FORUM: As the U.S. swim community has a scrap over a bone with no meat on it, until Michael Phelps weighed in with clarity, we consider the difference between the shallows of a tiff & the depths of real debate in a sport that has long struggled with truth state-of-swimming.ghost.io/forum-into-t...

Day 8 wrap: The McIntosh - Marchand show lived up to expectation before the USA women's medley team provided the curtain-closing fireworks at the 22nd World Championships state-of-swimming.ghost.io/singapore-da...

Canadian History maker Summer McIntosh: "I think it was very obvious that my goal was 5 golds. Time just didn't matter. I just wanted to get my hand on the wall first five times. I fell short ... it'll keep me hungry." state-of-swimming.ghost.io/w400im-mcint...

World 400IM title No3, 4:04.78, “Today was proof I made the right choices, that I’m doing what I love. I knew it - but it always feels good to be [on] the podium, hear the national anthem, reflect on everything that’s happened this year.” - Léon Marchand state-of-swimming.ghost.io/m400im-marc/

"I think it came down to the one who wanted the gold medal more to win, and I won.” Ahmed Jaouadi. Well, no, it came down to a physical capability to rip and roar away from the toweringly rivals in the next lane state-of-swimming.ghost.io/jaouadi-subj...

In 24.02, Meg Harris makes it 2 free dash titles in Singapore for AUS, with Cam McEvoy; Ruta Meilutyte's dominant 29.55 on breaststroke marks her 4th win in as many covid-contract-crunch years; Kliment Kolesnikov's 23.68 takes his first l/c crown on backstroke state-of-swimming.ghost.io/m50-back-2/

Last day in Singapore: Outside smoker ahoy! Léon Marchand, Olympic champion and World record holder, into the 400IM final about half a second the right side of the line on a morning of mild tropical storm in Singapore state-of-swimming.ghost.io/singapore-20...

A day to remember, all finals stacked with pioneering lines, but one that delivered the greatest women's distance freestyle race in history state-of-swimming.ghost.io/singapore-da...

Gold: 8:05.62 Katie Ledecky (USA) - Silver: 8:05.98 Lani Pallister (AUS) - Bronze: Summer McIntosh, 8:07.29. 4th 8:12 European record for Simona Quadarella (ITA) - the greatest women's distance race in history, first take state-of-swimming.ghost.io/w800-free-le...

Gretchen Walsh became the second woman in World Championship history after Swedish sprint queen Sarah Sjöström, to win the butterfly dash crown inside 25sec here in Singapore this evening, her victory also landing her the 50-100 double. state-of-swimming.ghost.io/w50-butterfl...

After an outage put us off the map but not out of action yesterday, our wrap of all action back in our SOS home ... state-of-swimming.ghost.io/singapore-da...

Day 7 heats, Singapore 2025 World titles - Florian Wellbrock: The first four-gold-medal-winning 22.5km campaign of open water and pool in history draws closer to its conclusion, the prospect of another podium calling state-of-swimming.ghost.io/singapore-20...