PRESIDENTIAL MONTHLY REPORT  July 2013

This month of July was definitely marked by the celebration of the FINA World Swimming Championships in Barcelona. Numerous activities are keeping us all busy, and all of it deserves our attention.

DIVING
• The European Junior Diving Championships were held in Poznan (POL) at the brand new swimming complex “Termy Maltanskie” from June 3rd to 7th. The very well organized event successfully delivered by the Polish Swimming Federation and the Organising Committee gave the possibility to the local fans to support the extraordinary performances of the young divers, some of whom also participated in the senior category at the Barcelona World Championships, with a lot of appreciation for the new ‘jump event’ that took place for the first time in the Junior Championships.
OPEN WATER SWIMMING
• The 2013 European Junior Open Water Swimming Championships were held in Darica-Kocaeli (TUR) along with the third leg of the 2013 European OWS Cup from July 26th to 28th. These LEN Events once more offered intense open water racing with head to head finishes in the Junior 5km and 7.5km races, and with the Cup Leg triumphs of Nicole Cirillo (ITA) and Andreas Waschburger (GER) who earned important points before Legs 4 and 5 in Hoorn (NED) and Navia (ESP), and before the Cup Final in Hamburg (GER) on the 17th and 18th of August. We thank the local organisers for their strong will to continue contributing with their work and enthusiasm to the promotion of the LEN disciplines.

SWIMMING
• The 40th ARENA European Junior Swimming Championships were also organised by the Polish Swimming Federation and hosted in the Termy Maltanskie venue in Poznan (POL). The five days of competition were full of great races that these youngsters have accustomed us to and that prepare them definitively for the step up to the senior category. The event is a showcase for these young men and women that will soon be demonstrating their abilities at higher levels at the top events in Europe and the World.
A special appreciation to all the LEN Delegates, officials and judges, for the essential contribution which also on this occasion have assured the success of our events.
MEETINGS
• During the FINA World Championships in Barcelona held between July 19th and August 4th and with the presence of the entire “Aquatic World” in the Catalan capital, several meetings were organised in regard to the European activity.
• LEN Bureau meetings were held in Barcelona on July 24th and 27th with many events, minutes, reports, and matters to look over, financial and marketing issues, among others: the current state of bids for LEN Events 2014-2016 with the allocation of the Women’s European U19 Water Polo Championship 2014 to Rome (ITA), the 2016 European Junior Swimming Championships to Hódmezővásárhely (HUN), but mainly with the allocation to London (GBR) of the European Swimming Championships 2016 and the Arena European Swimming Masters Championships 2016. The European Games 2015 in Baku, for which the LEN President updated the Bureau with the on-going discussion and agreement with the EOC and OC to stage this event as the LEN European Junior Championships in swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo. The key point is the financial support of the OC for the travel and accommodation in Baku of 1200 athletes of our disciplines.
The Junior events already allocated on 2015 have been moved to 2016 and confirmed to the same organisers.
• The LEN President met on July 25th with Roberto Colletto, Myrtha Pools CEO, to confirm and enhance the LEN and Myrtha Pools current partnership.

• The LEN Delegation on July 28th attended a meeting with Malmsten, to discuss and improve the LEN and Malmsten current partnership with regard to the new Water Polo Champions League project.
• On July 29th the LEN President, General Secretary David Sparkes, and LEN Staff members Marco Birri (WP Manager) and David Rouger (Marketing), met a delegation of the OC of Berlin 2014 represented by the LEN Vice President and President of the German Swimming Federation Mrs Christa Thiel, the General Secretary Mr Jurgen Fornoff and the OC director Mr Jurgen Greve, for an update on some organizational aspects of the next European Swimming Championship of Berlin that will surely be an exceptional event.
• On July 30th LEN also met representative members of the OC of the coming European Short Course Swimming Championships of Herning (DEN) to discuss the organizational procedures and to schedule a site visit.
• On July 31st another important meeting between LEN and EBU sports took place in order to continue discussing the LEN-EBU (European Broadcasting Union) partnership and to develop LEN Events and the relevant TV productions matters.
During the FINA World Swimming Championships the tremendous amount of activities that occurred around the event kept busy all representative members of the Federations. The technical congresses of the diverse disciplines analyzed and took new decisions to move forward the aquatic events.
On July 26th the FINA General Congress re-elected the FINA President Dr Julio Maglione and the new Bureau in which the leaders of the European aquatics have earned important positions.
The LEN President Paolo Barelli (ITA) has been elected FINA Honorary Secretary for a second term while LEN Treasurer Tamas Gyarfas (HUN) is the new FINA Vice President from Europe. Our continent has other four members in the FINA Bureau. Besides the confirmed LEN Vice President Dimitris Diathesopoulos (GRE) three new representatives have been elected for the first time into the FINA Bureau: Fernando Carpena (ESP), Vladimir Salnikov (RUS) and Erik van Heijningen (NED).

Another important period for the further development of the water disciplines in the interests of the athletes and the National Federations of the all 5 continents has begun. LEN together with the new FINA Bureau, the New FINA Committees and Commissions, will stand in the forefront.

Paolo Barelli
President