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LEN Women's Water Polo Championships 2009

	British Swimming & the asa Announcements

	AVAILABILITY FORMS Please note that Availability Forms for international team selection have been phased out. Click here for more information. SWANSEA ITC – Senior/Assistant Coach vacancy - find more details here. Closing date 30th June 2009. CHANGES TO PERMITTED ASA SWIMWEAR RULES For more information please click here CHANGES TO PERMITTED BRITISH SWIMMING SWIMWEAR RULES For further information please click here THE ASA AQUATIC WORKFORCE AUDIT As part of Swimming's Coach/Teacher Development Programme, the ASA are completing an audit of our teacher/coach workforce. To find out more about the online audit please click here. For guidance notes please click here.

Headline News

	SWIMMING SQUAD FOR WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES ANNOUNCED 02 Jul 2009 The Great Britain Swimming Squad for the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia has been announced. more -->
The Great Britain Swimming Squad for the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia has been announced. The selection, which was delayed due to the World Championships selection, includes five male and two female swimmers. Three of the athletes have experienced the World University Games previously, having been part of Team GBR in Bangkok 2007. Matthew Clay (University of Bath) returned home from Bangkok with a Bronze in the 50m Backstroke. Clay was a Gold medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and will look to impress in Belgrade this year. Matthew Bowe (Loughborough University) is another athlete to enjoy his second consecutive World University Games after finishing 8th in the B Final in 50m Butterfly last time round. Robert Holderness (Florida State University) was the 2008 World Youth Games bronze medalist in the 200m Breaststroke and has been a European Junior Finalist in 2007 and 2008. Michael Jaimeson from Telford College finished 3rd in the 2008 British Olympic Trials in the 200m Individual Medley and will look to perform well in Belgrade. The final male competitor, Andrew Hodgson, is one of three swimmers in the Great Britain squad who studies in Florida, USA. Hodgson represented Great Britain U23s in the Tri Nations Cup in 2008. Stephanie Proud (Florida University) finished in 3rd place at the 2008 British Olympic Trials and has been selected to represent Great Britain. At the World University Games 2007, in Bangkok, Proud didn’t make it past the preliminary rounds and will be hoping for an improvement in Belgrade. Rachel Lefley (Loughborough University) finished 3rd and 4th in the World Trials in 2008 in Sheffield for both 100m and 200m Backstroke respectively. The swimmers are due to arrive in Belgrade later today and begin competition on Sunday 5 July. The swimming competition commences on Sunday 5 July. For more information visit www.bucs.org.uk/belgrade. - ENDS- For more information, please contact Hannah Marshall, Press Officer – Team GBR at Hannah.marshall@bucs.org.uk +381 65 406 0599 or Jenni Anderson in the BUCS office on 0207 633 5088 jenni.anderson@bucs.org.uk Notes to Editors: The World University Games or Universiade was established in 1959 and since then has grown to become the third largest multi-sport event in the World. The 25th Games in Belgrade runs from 1 -12 July 2009 and is made up of 15 sports. Team GBR will compete in 11 sports: archery, artistic gymnastics, basketball (women), diving, fencing, football (men & women), judo, swimming, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball (men and women). 7,000 athletes and officials from 130 nations will be present in Belgrade, including 190 athletes, officials, medical staff and volunteers from Great Britain. For more information and to find out who is competing for Britain, please visit the BUCS website at: www.bucs.org.uk/belgrade Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) is the Government backed world class further and higher education based talent development programme for sportsmen and women. Each year an average of 1000 athletes, from 47 sports, aged between 16 & 28, receive £3500 worth of sport related support services to enhance their sporting potential, whilst continuing their academic development. TASS is a partnership between the HE & FE sector & the National Governing Bodies of sport and has a network of 84 HE & FE Institutions, who have a commitment to flexible learning, which deliver the sports support services to the athletes.

	PRINCE WILLIAM LENDS SUPPORT TO WATER POLO’S OLYMPIC PLIGHT 02 Jul 2009 Prince William is to lend his support to British Water Polo athletes as they prepare for the London 2012 Olympics. more -->
The Prince will be among the many avid supporters and spectators at next week’s LEN European Nations Trophy in Manchester when the British Women’s team go head-to-head with Slovakia. The Royal guest will also meet with individual players and key figures within the sport and business communities. Prince William is passionate about the sport and while at St Andrew’s University was a keen member of the water polo team. In 2004 he was selected to represent Scotland Universities in an international tournament and while serving in the Army also played water polo. In 2005, many athletes decided to pursue their Olympic dreams and gave up education and employment to move to Manchester where British Swimming’s High Performance Water Polo Centre is based. However, following a funding cut of 75%, many face real financial hardship as they continue to prepare for London. As a result of the funding cut, the water polo programme itself has been split with the women continuing to prepare in Manchester while the men will eventually be based offshore with professional clubs to continue their development. Prince William’s support of British water polo has been greeted by British Swimming Chief Executive David Sparkes. “The support of Prince William, as someone who has regularly played water polo, is welcomed by everybody at this critical time for British Water Polo – particularly the athletes,” said Sparkes. “The athletes were obviously disappointed to learn their budget was cut by 75% by UK Sport but despite this set back both the women’s and men’s teams have shown dogged determination to continue. “Recent successful results for the men at tournaments in Turkey and Poland have demonstrated this resolve and a hard fought triumph over one of our arch rivals France after a 30-year wait is testament to that. “The Prince’s support will further lift the spirits of our water polo players and coaches, and will renew their commitment and determination to be there in 2012 competing with distinction against the best in the world.” Prince William’s show of support will be welcomed by the British Gas Women’s Team who will have home advantage during the LEN European Nations Trophy at the Manchester Aquatic Centre. Britain will open their tournament on Tuesday 7th July against Belarus before facing Portugal the next day and rounding off their group matches against Slovakia. Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic and Ukraine will contest the other group with the final match being played on Sunday 12th July. -ENDS- For further details contact Dave Richards, British Swimming Media Manager, on 01509 632237, 0778 992 6136 or email dave.richards@swimming.org For details of the LEN European Nations Trophy CLICK HERE About British Swimming British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish ASA) and Wales. (Welsh ASA) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. About British Gas British Gas, the biggest energy supplier in the country, has the lowest carbon intensity of any of the major UK energy suppliers in terms of tonnes of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour of electricity supplied to customers. The company is one of the biggest investors in renewable power generation, principally offshore wind. Its recently completed Lynn and Inner Dowsing development, off the Lincolnshire coast, is the UK's largest offshore wind development. British Gas is committed to energy efficiency. Our Energy Savers Report provides free expert advice on how you can cut energy use in the home and, in turn, save money. So far, the report has shown over 2 million people how they could make an average saving of £175 a year. To complete a report go to www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-savers-report About Speedo® The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations. Supporting swimming from grass-roots through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps, Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE, SPEEDO ENDURANCE, FLIPTURNS, FASTSKINFSII, SPEEDO BIOFUSE, SWYM and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

	EUROPEAN TEST AHEAD FOR JUNIOR SWIMMERS 02 Jul 2009 A squad of 57 of Britain’s top junior swimmers are finalising their preparations as they bid to take on Europe’s best next week at the European Junior Swimming Championships. more -->
A squad of 57 of Britain’s top junior swimmers are finalising their preparations as they bid to take on Europe’s best next week at the European Junior Swimming Championships. The 36th European Junior Championships will take place in Prague from 8 -12th July and will see the British Gas squad vying for international honours. The British Gas swimmers will face tough competition from large squads from Russia and Germany as they aim to continue the steady rate of improvement that British Junior athletes have shown on the European stage. The 57-strong squad is the largest ever contingent of British swimmers to compete at the European Junior Championships and because only two athletes can progress past the heats swimmers will face an added level of competition to post faster times to reach the finals. “With such a large team of athletes it will prove to be a big test for them as there are four athletes entered into events and it will be interesting to see who steps up and achieves their semi and final places,” Martin said. “There can’t be any complacency within the squad as they will have to fight for those spots. “We have to use to our advantage the fact we have a big team. We have to promote competition within our own ranks to get as many athletes as possible to finals.” Athletes qualified for the event at the British Gas Swimming Championships in Sheffield in March and Head Coach Chris Martin was impressed with the performances as the swimmers stepped up to be counted. “From where I sat it was fantastic to see some new athletes step onto the pathway at the British Gas Swimming Championships,” Martin said. “In making the standards I was a little bit nervous that not enough swimmers would make it onto our programmes. But I couldn’t have been more wrong as the GB swimmers and coaches ran right up to the bar and grabbed it with both hands.” -ENDS- The LEN European Junior Swimming Championships take place in Prague, Czech Republic from 8th - 12th July 2009. The British Gas squad consists of: Adam Harrington Crawley Adam John Stockport Mo Anthony O'Driscoll Plymouth Leander Braxston Timm Co Sheffield Calum Jarvis Plymouth Leander Cameron Brodie Kelly Coll Craig Hamilton Warrender Baths Daniel Mills Nova Cent David Gregory Plymouth Leander Douglas Scott East Kilbride Jak Scott Stirling Swim James Burden Co Coventry James Gibson Stockport Mo James Harrison Co Leeds Josh Walsh Gallica Karl Botha Millfield Lewis Coleman Team Ipswich Luke Wood Co Salford Mark Conroy Plymouth Leander Matthew Allison Bo Stockton Richard Butler Kingston u Hull Roberto Pavoni Brentwood Russell Smith Stockport Mo Thomas Allen Swim Flint Thomas Parris Hastings Tsubasa Nakagawa Co Leicester Aimee Willmott Middlesborough Ann Morris Nova Cent. Anne Bochmann UEA Norwich Bethany Coggins UEA Norwich Carmella Kitching Harrow & Weald Catriona Bruce Bo Stockton Charlotte Bell Northampton Corrie Scott East Kilbride Danielle Stirrat Co Cardiff Eleanor Faulkner Co Sheffield Ellis Jackson St Felix School Emma Graham Co Leeds Emma Saunders Horwich Francesca Marr Hillingdon Georgia Hohmann Nova Cent Hannah Wardle Co Leeds Jessica Powell Stockport Mo Jessica Thielmann Co Newcastle Kirsty Harkness Portsmouth NS Laura Dawson Co Newcastle Lucy Ellis Stirling Swim Lucy Titchin Millfield Mai Alland Burl Hill & Hay Rachael Kelly Newcastle Staffs Rachel Williams Trowbridge Sara Hamilton South Aberdeenshire Sara Lougher Bridgend City Sian Morgan Co Bradford Sophie Drake Canvey Island Stephanie Blakeburn Billingham For further details contact British Swimming Media Officer Gemma Field on 01509 632238, 07917 726431 or email gemma.field@swimming.org About British Swimming British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish ASA) and Wales. (Welsh ASA) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. About British Gas British Gas, the biggest energy supplier in the country, has the lowest carbon intensity of any of the major UK energy suppliers in terms of tonnes of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour of electricity supplied to customers. The company is one of the biggest investors in renewable power generation, principally offshore wind. Its recently completed Lynn and Inner Dowsing development, off the Lincolnshire coast, is the UK's largest offshore wind development. British Gas is committed to energy efficiency. Our Energy Savers Report provides free expert advice on how you can cut energy use in the home and, in turn, save money. So far, the report has shown over 2 million people how they could make an average saving of £175 a year. To complete a report go to www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-savers-report About Speedo® The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations. Supporting swimming from grass-roots through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps, Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE, SPEEDO ENDURANCE, FLIPTURNS, FASTSKINFSII, SPEEDO BIOFUSE, SWYM and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

	ENTRIES FOR THE BRITISH GAS GRAND PRIX CLOSE NEXT WEEK 01 Jul 2009 Make sure you get your entries in for the British Gas Grand Prix as the closing date is fast approaching. more -->
Make sure you get your entries in for the British Gas Grand Prix as the closing date is fast approaching. The four day competition, which takes place from 6th – 9th August, will be staged at the John Charles Sports Centre in Leeds. The closing date for the competition is the 8th July so guarantee your place at the competition now CLICK HERE -ENDS-

	SUTCLIFFE AND STARLING SECURE MEDAL IN HUNGARY 01 Jul 2009 Saffron Sutcliffe and Hannah Starling (both City of Leeds) have won the British Gas Junior Diving team’s first medal of the European Junior Diving Championships in Budapest, Hungary. more -->
Saffron Sutcliffe and Hannah Starling (both City of Leeds) have won the British Gas Junior Diving team’s first medal of the European Junior Diving Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Competing in the first event of the competition, the girl’s 3m Synchro, they took on some of Europe’s top diving nations and came away with the silver medal after an impressive performance. They were beaten by the Russian duo after they scored 284.90 points and the British Gas pair secured a score of 255.09 with a number of consistent dives. The bronze medal was won by Greece with 253.98. -ENDS-

	BLUE PETER BADGE FOR BRITISH SWIMMING'S MARK PERRY 01 Jul 2009 British Swimming’s Mark Perry has been awarded an iconic Blue Peter badge after lending his Open Water expertise to two of the show’s presenters. more -->
British Swimming’s Mark Perry has been awarded an iconic Blue Peter badge after lending his Open Water expertise to two of the show’s presenters. Perry, British Swimming’s Open Water Performance Manager, has been coaching Blue Peter presenters Joel Defries and Helen Shelton as they train to take part in the Bosporus Swim in Turkey this summer. The two have been training hard and following Perry’s instructions over the phone and via post as they prepare to take part in the Open Water swim for Blue Peter’s Summer Expedition. Perry commented: “For a high profile show like Blue Peter to get involved is great for the sport. Hopefully young swimmers will see Helen and Joel give Open Water swimming a go and want to try it themselves. “Following on from the Olympics and the excellent results we’ve had in Open Water recently British Open Water swimming is continuing to develop.” Defries and Shelton will take part in the Bosporus Swim on 19^th July which sees participants swim 7km down the centre of Istanbul, with swimmers starting in Asia and ending in Europe. -ENDS- For more information please contact the ASA/British Swimming Media Assistant, Lauren Sanderson on 01509 632236 or email lauren.sanderson@swimming.org British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish ASA) and Wales. (Welsh ASA) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. About British Gas British Gas, the biggest energy supplier in the country, has the lowest carbon intensity of any of the major UK energy suppliers in terms of tonnes of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour of electricity supplied to customers. The company is one of the biggest investors in renewable power generation, principally offshore wind. Its recently completed Lynn and Inner Dowsing development, off the Lincolnshire coast, is the UK's largest offshore wind development. British Gas is committed to energy efficiency. Our Energy Savers Report provides free expert advice on how you can cut energy use in the home and, in turn, save money. So far, the report has shown over 2 million people how they could make an average saving of £175 a year. To complete a report go to www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-savers-report About Speedo® The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations. Supporting swimming from grass-roots through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps, Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE, SPEEDO ENDURANCE, FLIPTURNS, FASTSKINFSII, SPEEDO BIOFUSE, SWYM and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending. About Kellogg's The Kellogg Company was founded in 1906 and today produces 40 different cereals including popular brands such as Special K, Cornflakes and Coco Pops, and 56 different snacks including brands such as Nutri-Grain and Special K snacks. Kellogg's has been a partner of the ASA and British Swimming for 13 years, sponsoring the Kellogg's ASA Awards and enabling over 50,000 people to take up swimming as part of an active lifestyle.

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Other News

ASA AUDIT SHOWS STEADY GROWTH IN EQUALITY 22 Jun 2009

The 2009 audit of the equality and diversity representation of the ASA shows that the current membership broadly reflects the ethnic population profile of England and there has been a slow but steady growth in increasing membership throughout all ethnic groupings.

This fourth annual audit, which was initiated in 2006 as part of the Governing Body’s submission to the National Equality Standard for Sport, addresses the profile of the ASA in terms of its membership, staff, officials and committees.

Within the membership of the ASA White British is the largest sector with just under 91%, with Asian (Other), Black (Other), Mixed White Caribbean, Mixed White Asian and Mixed (Other) communities also being largely representative of the make up of the population as a whole. The ASA membership reflects all ethnic communities to some level, with any under-representation of a specific group not vastly out of sync with the English population profiles.

Membership data also shows there has been a significant increase on the 2006 figure in those who state they have a disability (0.76% of the total).

ASA director of English Programmes Anne Adams-King is keen to increase the opportunities for a more diverse range of people to be involved in the organisation and swimming as a whole.

“The ASA and British Swimming are committed to the principles of equality and diversity and actively work with our partners to both tackle discrimination and promote equal opportunities,” said Anne Adams-King.

“I am delighted that the results of this Audit show that swimming’s membership is broadly reflective of the diverse ethnic population in England, which is testament to our hard work and commitment to ensuring we work towards building a sport for all.

“We do however have much work to do in further developing our programmes in order to maintain this trend and redress any imbalances in under represented individuals, groups and communities.

“The ASA and British Swimming are holders of the Intermediate Level of the Equality Standard for Sport, a framework which guides sports and community organisations towards achieving equality. We will continue to work with our partners to engage a wider range of communities and affect change on a local level as part of our strategy to achieve the Advanced Level by 2013.”

ENDS-

For more information contact the ASA PR Assistant Claire Freeman on 01509 632262 or email claire.freeman@swimming.org

About the ASA
The ASA is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn to Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,220 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.

About British Gas
British Gas, the biggest energy supplier in the country, has the lowest carbon intensity of any of the major UK energy suppliers in terms of tonnes of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour of electricity supplied to customers. The company is one of the biggest investors in renewable power generation, principally offshore wind. Its recently completed Lynn and Inner Dowsing development, off the Lincolnshire coast, is the UK's largest offshore wind development. British Gas is committed to energy efficiency. Our Energy Savers Report provides free expert advice on how you can cut energy use in the home and, in turn, save money. So far, the report has shown over 2 million people how they could make an average saving of £175 a year. To complete a report go to .www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-savers-report

About Kellogg’s
The Kellogg Company was founded in 1906 and today produces 40 different cereals including popular brands such as Special K, Cornflakes and Coco Pops, and 56 different snacks including brands such as Nutri-Grain and Special K snacks. Kellogg’s has been a partner of the ASA and British Swimming for 13 years, sponsoring the Kellogg’s ASA Awards and enabling over 50,000 people to take up swimming as part of an active lifestyle.

About Speedo®
The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations. Supporting swimming from grass-roots through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps, Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE, SPEEDO ENDURANCE, FLIPTURNS, FASTSKINFSII, SPEEDO BIOFUSE, SWYM and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

SWIMMING STILL MOST POPULAR PARTICIATION SPORT 18 Jun 2009

Swimming remains the most popular participation sports in England according to the quarterly results of Sport England’s Active People Survey released on 18th June.

A total of 3.2 million adults said they do 30 minutes of swimming at a moderate intensity at least once a week when questioned as part of the Sport England Active People Survey. This equates to 7.64 per cent of the adult population.

The results based on the latest 12 month rolling period to April 2009 (April 2008-April 2009). ‘Swimming’ in the survey covers all swimming and diving (indoor and outdoor), water polo, deep water swimming, open water swimming and deep water diving.

The ASA is continuing its efforts to increase participation in swimming by working closely with the Government on their free swimming initiative. The £140 million Government initiative, announced last June has seen four out of every five local councils in England signing up to provide free swimming for over 60s and a further 200 offering it for under 16s too.

Twenty million people in England are now eligible to swim for free, using pools in other areas if their own council is not participating in the scheme.

Although swimming is the most popular participation sport in England these quarterly results show a slight decline in participation since the last Active People survey results which were published in December 2008. In December 2008 7.83 percent of the population were active swimmers, this has declined by 48,100.

-ENDS-
For more information contact the ASA Marketing Officer Esther Hope on 01509 632238, 07917 876459 or email esther.hope@swimming.org.

The ASA is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water, and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn To Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,220 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.

BRITISH SWIMMING INVITES VIEWS ON NON-NATIONAL COMPETITORS 15 Jun 2009

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