Questions for Mr Nagel without answers

[joefox]

Dear guys,

I posted some questions on AIDA forum, hoping that Mr Nagel would give me answers, but someone explained me that:
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Dear Mr Volpe,

Mr Nagel doesn't answer anymore directely to any journalist, as probabely your CMAS President Mr Achille Ferrero also do.

So, if you want to send your questions about AIDA, you can send them directely to the AIDA Exectutive Board email address : info@aida-international.org , or to take an appointment here in Lausanne, Switzerland, with Mr Nagel.

Sincerely,

Hanane FASHI,
AIDA vice-president for Africa
& AIDA Presidency Assistant
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I really don't understand why an association which have alway used internet to develope freediving and keep in touch with all the freedivers set up a discussion board not to answer to the questions posted by a journalist.

An appointment in Losanna? Hahahahaha.... nom, thanks, I prefer discussion boards.

Ok, I post here the questions, who know... someone might be able to answer (Kirk Krack? Paul Kotic? Franck Pernett? Martin Stepanek? Eric Fattah?????)

Thak you.

Giorgio Volpe

PS Mr Ferrero is NOT my President, he is the President of CMAS.My President is Mr CIAMPI, gnurant.

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Dear Mr Nagel,

I'm a journalist, and I'd like to ask you some questions:

a) AIDA defines itself as the world governing body of freediving, but why is it that the Olympic Movement recognizes CMAS as the only International Federation for Underwater Sports, including freediving?

See: http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/ ... eration=61

What are your plans to change? Don't you think that an organization like AIDA should be part of the official sport world?

b) Do you know that in Nations like Italy it's impossible to promote a sport discipline like freediving without referring to the rules set by the National Federation recognized by the National Olympic Commettee, which in Italy's case is also a public institution? What would you suggest to italian sport clubs who want to partake in the AIDA CB game and not the FIPSAS/CMAS JB, considering that in countries like Italy "competitive disciplines" are reserved to the NOC (CONI) and its federations (FIPSAS) by law?

c) In countries like Italy sport scuba diving has depth limits, if you need deep safety divers you must call professionals, and this means that your sport event becomes a.... yard ruled by labour law.
Your safety divers must work according to the safety rules for workers set by the law (= really expensive organization). What would you suggest to avoid these kind of problems?

d) CMAS freediving is recognized by IOC and by all the national olympic committees: in many countries (including my own, Italy) the Governement helps you promote FIPSAS/CMAS disciplines with tax exemptions and other benefits. Why, in your opinion, AIDA's disciplines aren't treated the same way? How do you explain this situation? Do you think it's fair? What would you do to change things?

e) Who promotes a sport discipline like AIDA does should aim at pushing freediving higher and higher toward the gotha of sport: the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are the only reason why the Olympic Movement was created (the OM joins more countries than UN do!) .... as I said, CMAS is recognized by the IOC as the only governing body of the sport of freediving...
How do you plan to bring freediving into the Summer Games?

Thank you very much for your attention.

Best regards,

Giorgio Volpe

[Billextreme]

Dear Giorgio,

I'm the Vice President in AIDA International, Europe... and also President in AIDA Italia. I would gladly help you with answers to all of your questions and also tell you about the future when it comes to freediving in Italy.

Please contact me at, bill@freedive.nu

regards,
Bill Strömberg
Milano

[Ben Gowland]

Why would we want freediving in the Olympics?

[DeepThought]

So some of us will be sponsored for freediving.
So we'll have something interesting finally to watch in the olympics.
So we'll be able to see freediving competitions on TV rather then not seing them at all/by traveling.
To reduce the amount of strange looks/questions I get when I get to mention that I freedive. Though sometimes it's amusing enough.
Get even better equipment developed?

But, I don't see it as a lifetime goal, just a nice bonus, can live happily without it.

[joefox]

Hi Bill,

I'll contact you, thank you for your interest.

Giorgio

[Alun]

i think having freediving in the Olympics would have terrible consequences. with so much at stake, many competitive minded freedivers would be tempted to take serious risks in order to compete or win medals. deaths in training would be inevitable....

it's never going to happen anyway, so it's all rather academic. if London wins the 2012 bid then where would the freediving competition be held?... in the English channel?!

how do you think the general public would react to the blackouts - limp lifeless divers being dragged to the surface and given CPR? if any form of apnea gets into the Olympics then it will be apnea finswimming over 25 or 50m, where there should be no chance of blackout.

[jome]

Originally Posted by Alun

if London wins the 2012 bid then where would the freediving competition be held?... in the English channel?!

Hmm, a nice side effect of the olympics would be that each host city would have to build a 100+ m deep "pool", which would then of course be left operational for training...

Or maybe I'm just day dreaming

But really, I'd have to go with Alun on this one. Yes, I would like to see Freediving become more popular and accepted as a sport, but I find it hard to picture it in the olympics...

Then again, commersialization and the pressures that it will bring seem kind of inevitable. Might as well be the olympics...

[portinfer]

I know I've posted this before but I like the idea

http://www.luciteinternational.com/newsitem.asp?id=40

Only 16m deep but it is a start !

Who knows could be the start of home tanks .... so when the decking / hot tub / latest trendy thing goes you make one of these.
Ed

[rcerdena]

Giorgio:
I hope you let us know what are the answers to your questions.

Cheers,

Roberto

[Jorg]

Originally Posted by joefox

e) Who promotes a sport discipline like AIDA does should aim at pushing freediving higher and higher toward the gotha of sport: the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are the only reason why the Olympic Movement was created (the OM joins more countries than UN do!) .... as I said, CMAS is recognized by the IOC as the only governing body of the sport of freediving...
How do you plan to bring freediving into the Summer Games?

I find this comment interesting to think about. Some sports just don't belong in the olympics and I think that freediving is just one of them. I really can't believe that freediving will ever be in the olympic summer games. Freediving is a sport that belongs in the categorie of sports practiced during the X-games! If you like it or not...

[samdive]

hey if they brought in freediving to the London Olympics we would happily blow the hell out of chepstow to make it deep enough..

or

you might get a real road to Dorothea!

don't knock it Alun!!

I'll keep dreaming...

sam

[joefox]

I talked to Bill, we'll catch up next month in AIDA ITALY headquarters in Milan, hopefully. Bill will answer to all the questions for an interview which will be published in both Italian and English on Apnea Magazine.

Just some quick notes:

1) a medal at the summer games = if I'm not mistaken 130.000 euros for the NOC.

2) Finswimming was about to enter the OG 3 times: Sidney, Athens and Pechino. Next time might be the good one, who knows?
In that case, CMAS would become an Olympic IF, get more money from the IOC and bring into OG other events like... dynamic.

3) When we talk about OG we talk about OM. Please, see the OM website to learn how it is structured, who's in and who's out. You'll know why there's no CB problem.

4) There are sports that are recognized as such, and sports that are not. At the moment, only CMAS disciplines are recognized as Events inside the OM. CB is not. In recognized sports, all athletes have to do is the performance. No money needed for transfers, no money needed for Anti doping test, no desperate searches for sponsors, just performances. If you're good, then you can officially represent your country at international competitions, regardless the size of your wallet.

5) Before you can solve any problem, you must understand it. If we don't even know what problem you're dealing with it will be very hard to find solutions for the good of freediving.

Giorgio

[Wishbone]

Giorgio,
Nice input, mate.
Wanted to comment with you the fees paid by the countries to the international bodies. From what I know, besides tv rights, sponsorships and advertising, the OM and the recognised intnl. organisations rely on annual fees. And when it comes to OG sports, the burden is quite high.
Comparing the high cost for organising a proper freediving event to the relatively low popularity of the sport, do you think freediving stands a chance to become an olympic event moneywise. Cause I think that may be a real problem.
Oh, and of course the problem with televising sambas I have mentioned before...

I keep my fingers crossed for the swimming with fins and the UW hockey!

Greetings,

Ivan

[joefox]

Dear Ivan,

as you probably know, we must consider that the CMAS is a multi-discipline int. federation which is going to organize its World Games, where we'll see many events in a single place: finswimming, underwater hokey, freediving etc etc...

CMAS WG means approx 1200 people from all over the world in one single sport event. You see what I mean.


We should consider another aspect. Since finswimming apnea disciplines are quite similar to dynamic, I don't think it would be impossible to see dynamic with fins at the Olympics.

I know it's not CB, I know it's not static.... but a friend of mine always says: "It's better to be injuried than dead".

Joefox