the pullbuoy log
Thursday, 22 May, 2003
Pilczuk appointed to lead sprint freestyle programme in Swansea
Former 50m freestyle world champion Bill Pilczuk has been appointed to head up Bill Sweetenham's new male freestyle sprint programme at the new Wales National pool in Swansea. Pilczuk, currently assistant coach to NCAA champions Auburn University in the USA, took the 50m freestyle title at the Perth World Championships in 1998, handing Alexander Popov his first defeat in seven years in the process. Currently he works with the sprint group in the Auburn programme while also teaching starts and turns technique.
This appointment is the latest step on Sweetenham's plan to re-establish British male freestyle sprinting. After last year's National Short Course championships, he branded male sprint freestyle programmes in this country as 'terrific failures' and promised to find an American coach to put things to rights. Pilczuk's appointment marks the end of the search for a suitable candidate.
Posted by Steve @ 01:29 PM BST [Link]
Early start for London's Olympic swimming complex
Engineering trade journal New Civil Engineer reports that London will show its Olympic intent with an early start for an Olympic aquatics centre. Construction of a new £59M swimming complex for the 2012 Olympics will start next year even though a decision on whether Britain will host the games is not expected until 2005, the government said this week.
[more]
Posted by Steve @ 11:44 AM BST [Link]
Monday, 5 May, 2003
UK Sport clarifies its position on supplements
UK Sport has issued a position statement to clarify the implications to athletes of taking dietary supplements. They warn that supplements may contain banned substances which are not identified on the label and which could cause a positive drugs test. It is important to remember that Anti Doping law operates on a basis of strict liability, meaning that ignorance of a supplement's contents is not a defence against a doping ban.
This statement is particularly timely given the recent controversy in Australia, where several supplements were found to contain constituents that had been subsituted for the approved ingredients.
The full statment, including frequently asked questions, is available at the UK Sport website. UK Sport supplement position statment (PDF)
