IWC World Static Apnea Contest, Monaco 21-23.07

[Kars]

Tom wonderful news on your site!

I'm very happy for you, and your journey may look shadowly sometimes, but in the end your trouble will open the mind of many allowing for a better world.

I bet you'll be flooded with email, maybe write a small piece about your personal journey?

Trust your intuition

Danke, vielen dank für ihren beitrag am dem welt!
Love, peace and water!

Kars

 

[jome]

Wow...That is, I mean, why do we even train, the rest of the world. Congratulations, that is truly impressive.

I think it's sad if speculation is allowed to affect someones participation in a competition. There is always speculation. It may or may not be founded, but until proven otherwise by the existing rules and protocols, it is just speculation. Almost every top level athlete in any sport, especially the ones who seem to be completely unchallenged, have and always will be speculated about.

Then again, since freediving is such a small sport, I can imagine that for example sponsors in this particular event can have a huge leverage. And of course, it's an invitation only competition, so the organizer is absolutely free to invite anyone they wish. But still, it's kind of like when AIDA CNF "world records" were being made at 35 meters or something, when the real record was over 60m...

I hate to say this though, but it does make the competition a lot more exciting. There's about half a dozen very even guys now competing for the top spot.

 

[pat fish]

I hate to say this though, but it does make the competition a lot more exciting. There's about half a dozen very even guys now competing for the top spot.

...there is about half a dozen very even guys now competing for number 2 you wanted to say. as eric already said in fun: there will be 2 categories - static and non-tom-static.

the contest is not only about who's down the longest but who's down longer than his opponent - so it's a mind game. not only a game of the ultimate longest static.

yours pat

 

[DeepThought]

Congratulations Tom!! :friday

Were there any more allegations except that one doping test that was cleared for the world record? if not then I guess it's just pettiness that prevents you from participating.
I'de expect AIDA to protect the validity of it's world record in such a case as people claim stuff without a proof as AIDA accepted the recrod. What if some one had made such claims about Martin and his 8:06....

 

[watts]

WOW Congratulations mate. You said in the Vancouver worlds video you thought it was possible and now youve done it. You keep on raising the bar for us newbies in the sport. Encouraging us to get out there and train harder.

Congrats Nathan Watts

 

[uw_swim]

jome, that's just what i was thinking reading that- that they decided they wanted more of a "competition" without a clear favorite, so they decided to drum this up. Usually things like that do seem to have more of a reason than what is actually stated.

 

[roger]

Because of illness Tom could not make it to the 3rd DordtDive last May.

As member of the organisation of DordtDive I would have been very proud if Tom did a 10+ at "my" competition!!!

I think that Tom should be part of the IWC World Static Apnea Contest (if he still wants...)

And the beautiful thing about sport in general is that there is a constant growing in performance. For Static Apnea Tom Sietas is now the best, but there will be a new Tom Sietas (m/f) someday and this person will do a 12+. It wont stop me from enjoying freediving, training and participating in competitions.

 

[Vlado]

It is unprofessional how the organizers of the contest behave. They are banning an athlete without any firm evidence, but clearly beacuse he stands out of the rest of the athlets so much. Should it make you automatically suspicius? In my book no.

That reminds of the case of Sergei Bubka (pole vault) who clearly had achieved supremacy over every other athlete in the discipline. But he set his records 1cm by 1cm, although it was obvious what was he capable of achieving. Maybe you should have taken it slowly Tom?

Second thing. Even if Tom had used something in the past (hypothetically speaking) wouldn't the event's organizers now have all neccessary doping tests? And Tom is still eager to attend, so what does it tells us? If he still wins with great result that would make a big favor both to organizers and Tom.

So big support for you Tom, and big congrats on your latest result!
Vladimir Prelovac

 

[cebaztian]

I have written a text about what I found out about Aida and doping.

http://www.fridykning.se/freediving/features/aidadope.html

Sebastian Sweden

 

[kingohyes]

Well written!

 

[tomsietas]

Hi guys,

just a few words because for some reason I am not able to log in the internet by my own computer.

Thank you so much. I am deeply touched by all the positive comments and mails. It is good to know that there are so many people wo think positive....

I will reply more extensively when I am able to use my computer again.

You are great... Tom

 

[efattah]

Tom,

Congratulations on your 10'08" static; a historic milestone for all freedivers.

It makes it a special day for me as well. During a documentary in February 2001, I was interviewed and on the documentary I said I was aiming for 100m in CW and 10'00" in static. At the time the records were 81m and 7'35". People thought those 'goals' were ridiculous.

But in the same documentary, I also said:
"and I do think that even THOSE are not pushing the human limits, I still think there is a lot of room for improvement even after that...."

Well, for the joy of all divers, in CW Carlos & Martin showed that 100m could be beaten, and Tom has showed us that 10'00" can be beaten.

Great work!

Sad to hear about the Monaco situation.

 

[pat fish]

I have written a text about what I found out about Aida and doping.

http://www.fridykning.se/freediving/features/aidadope.html

Sebastian Sweden

thanks for the info cebaztian!

 

[QazzaQ]

That's incredible that Tom has been shunned from this so-called top event of static apneists! Several competitive disciplines have had such players that have taken the discipline to a whole new level (Bubka, Karelin, Jordan, Kasparov...). The main difference to these disciplines is, that in these cases they have been able to _leverage_ the top-performer to promote the visibility and popularity of the sport. It is only natural that as freediving grows bigger there will be more and more talented persons involved who go past the limits of the "old-timers". What kind of a message does this send to the other promising talents training out there? That it is OK to achieve only mediocre levels before suspicion arises?
Personally I am extremely disappointed to see this kind of an attitude arise once again in freediving. It would seem, that one of the biggest factors limiting the development of this sport is the jealousy of less gifted individuals... Because of this attitude I have not enjoyed the international competitions as much as national or free training, and I have had huge challenges to motivate myself to participate in competitions abroad. And I don't think I am the only one having these problems.

Tom: hopefully this incident does not affect your training motivation!!! Looking forward to see you perform on an even ground against the participants of the Monaco competition...

 

[bam bam]

I'd just like to point out two things with the doping arctical:

firstly it wasn't prednisone found in tom's sample, though later in the articale they do say that is was another substance.

The prednisone was found in my sample. Which moves me onto the second thing:

"For instance; the UK athlete Sam Still was also found with "prednisone" in the blood during the Canada World Cup. A indication that the system works "

As for the lovely note on the side of the articale:

Aida has not been known for prompt information so I feel this text is beneficial for all parties and the freediving community as a whole.


I was CLEARED as the B sample was negative. So it works only as far as going the first initial findings were dramatised. Shocking news two athelites found with banned substance in urine test!!!!!!!!!!! :ban
Where as the second negative result was given only a short sentance on the aida site for a short while before being replaced by some other news!

So who ever wrote the articale please can you amend or at least insert a note to the fact that i am clean!

 

[Veronika]

In the first place I wonder why AIDA even publishes the results of a positive doping test sample A. IMHO the first step after such a result should be to ask the athlete if he wants to have sample B tested or not. If no, the sample A outcome can be considered as fact. If yes, it must be considered a preliminary outcome and should as such not be given to the public until the sample B results draw a clear picture.

 

[donmoore]

Tom seems to have the respect of most of the top freedivers, who seem more knowledgeable of the facts concerning his exonerated. If I were on the list of invites, it would be a real negative in what should have been a good experience. Without Tom the idea that this was to determine the best of the best is a joke for both the competitor and the fan!

As a fan, I will tell the sponsors this right now, I buy $1,000’s of freediving equipment and if your sponsoring this bull***** I will never buy your equipment again, and I will also encourage everyone to do the same!
DON

cc pierre@pierrefrolla.com

 

[samdive]

I can't believe that Tom - that is ridiculous! Deepest Bear no longer wants to go to Monaco : (

Sam

 

[AltSaint]

Tom Sietas wouldn't need to clean up his image, if it wasn't for people like the Organizing Committe for the WSAC in Monaco, who have seen fit to tarnish it.

All the postings I have seen here seem to support Tom. I think this means he has a clean image.

Unlike the WSAC Organizing Committee.

 

[wolleneugebauer]

from: http://AIDA-INTERNATIONAL.ORG/news1.htm
Dear Freedivers,

Last February the AIDA Disciplinary Commission was informed about an adverse analytical finding in the sample A of the doping test of Mr. Tom Sietas after it's analysis by the AIDA laboratory (Chem Tox). The test was made on the 12th of December 2004 in Eindhoven after Mr. Sietas static apnea performance.

The Disciplinary Commission was asked to discuss the case and give its conclusions. At that time, we considered the test as positive. We did so because we misinterpreted the WADA anti-doping guidelines (Standards for laboratories, point 5.4.4). Actually, under WADA-IOC regulations, Mr. Sietas doping test would NOT have been considered positive and thus NOT reported at all by an accredited laboratory. This happened mostly due to our lack of experience in this matter.

The new Disciplinary Commission will have to adjust it's rules to the WADA-IOC guidelines. Besides, with some changes in it's structure and new competent members, the next commission should soon be operational. Each athlete will agree that the credibility of the commission is essential for the development and the recognition of our sport; hence it's rules must be well defined and fully applicable.

Lausanne, May 30, 2005
Joanna Massacand
In the name of the ex-AIDA Disciplinary Commission

///

Milano, May 31, 2005
Bill Strömberg
President,
AIDA International