Barbados' Clarke elected on FINA Bureau

Barcelona, July 29 (IANS/CMC) Errol Clarke of Barbados has been elected a bureau member of the International Swimming Federation (FINA).

Clarke is among the seven new members elected to FINA at its General Congress Sunday, and under the presidency of Julio Maglione of Uruguay, who was re-elected for a new four-year term, reports CMC.

The other new members elected for the period 2013-2017 were Fernando Carpena (Spain), Mohamed Diop (Senegal), Erik van Heijningen (the Netherlands), Andrey Kryukov (Kazakhstan), Lino Candido Lourenço (Angola), and Vladimir Salnikov (Russia).

They will join Dimitris Diathessopoulos (Greece), Matthew Dunn (Australia), Ben Ekumbo (Kenya), Eugenio Martinez (Cuba), Margo Mountjoy (Canada), Coaracy Nunes Filho (Brazil), Kazuo Sano (Japan) and Qiuping Zhang (China), as members on the FINA Bureau.

Clarke is also president of the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN).

The Congress made some slight changes in the Constitution Rules, namely approving the creation of the FINA Ethics Panel.

Concerning General Rules, the delegates here validated the new relay events in 50m-pool (mixed 4x100m free and medley) and 25m-pool (4x50m free and medley for men and women, and mixed 4x50m free and medley).

The Congress also approved new Facilities Rules with the aim of updating all the diagrams, characteristics and dimensions of facilities used at FINA events. In backstroke races, the possibility of using an adjustable starting platform was validated.

"Despite our diversity, we are a big united Aquatic Family. We have achieved a lot together, but the present is already past. We must move forward, in a path of progress, development and aiming always to a better future," said Maglione.

--IANS/CMC

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