The Int'l Swimming Federation (FINA) is considering "adding a clause on minimum ages at future world championships" after 10-year-old Bahraini girl Alzain Tareq competed at this month's world championships in Russia, according to Julian Linden of REUTERS. FINA Exec Dir Cornel Marculescu said at the junior world swimming championships, currently taking place in Singapore, that "the loophole could be closed before the end of the year." Marculescu: "We have age rules for the juniors, and for all the other disciplines at the world championships, but in swimming we don't have limits." Although Tareq was "allowed to swim at the senior world championships, she is still too young to swim at the junior worlds because the minimum age for girls is 14" (REUTERS, 8/26).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROCKED: In London, Ron Lewis reported two female Kenyan athletes "have been sent home from the world championships after failing drugs tests, throwing a cloud over the African nation," which is top of the medal table in Beijing. Koki Manunga and Joyce Zakary "accepted provisional suspensions after positive tests" last Thursday and Friday, respectively. The IAAF did not reveal "any details of which substance the athletes had failed," but revealed that they had been tested at the Kenyan team hotel as part of their pre-competition testing (LONDON TIMES, 8/26). REUTERS' Drazen Jorgic reported Kenya has "opened an investigation" into the cases of runners Manunga and Zakary. Athletics Kenya said in a statement, "Athletics Kenya (AK) has already met with the IAAF and the athletes involved, and has begun investigating the situation which led to these results. Follow-up action will be taken in Kenya" (REUTERS, 8/26).
SUN CLEARED: Linden reported in a separate piece FINA cleared Chinese Olympic champion Sun Yang of "any wrongdoing following complaints over his behavior at this month's world championships in Russia." Marculescu said that the altercation that led to a complaint against Sun "was the result of overcongestion in the warmup pool in Kazan and did not warrant further action." He said, "There was a misunderstanding in the pool. In Kazan, we have over 1,000 swimmers, so the preparation pool became very crowded." A Brazilian coach said Sun had "tried to kick and elbow Larissa Oliveira after they collided with each other in the warmup pool" (REUTERS, 8/26).
