Not the most popular of sports, fin swimming is preparing for a world championship. Ghada Abd El-Kader reports In preparation for the World Fin Swimming Championship, the Egyptian Underwater and Lifesaving Federation (EULF) held the National Fin Swimming Championship for long distance. The two-day event was held at the Sea-Scout Club in Alexandria. Altogether, 750 swimmers representing 25 clubs participated. There are five disciplines in fin swimming. Eleven-year-old swimmers swim a distance of one kilometre, the 12-year-old swims two kms and the 13- year-olds swim three kms. Swimmers aged 15 to 17 swim a distance of four kms and senior swimmers swim six kms. Sameh El-Shazli the director of EULF, claims fin swimming is well-known around the world. "Last year, in the World Championship in Italy, there were 50 participating countries," El-Shazli said, adding, " EULF is not a very well known federation despite the huge number of participants in this championship. We need to be recognised by the National Council of Sport and the Ministry of Education to admit the sport among their activities." "We have genuine champions in fin swimming like Ibrahim Adam and Islam Shamaa from Smouha, Dina Nassar, Yasmine Zaki and Mohsen Mohsen from the Police Federation Club and Ibrahim Sayem from Ismaili," El-Shazli added. Iakovleva Olena, Ukrainian coach of the national team took the job by chance. "When I first came here I was accompanying my husband who is also a coach. We stayed for three months and trained the Egyptian team and were able to achieve outstanding results. However, my husband could not take the job full time as he was already engaged with another team abroad. So the Egyptian officials asked me to take over and I accepted," Olena said. Olena has since led the Egyptian team in several world championships in China, Italy and the Mediterranean Games. She said fin swimming was not an easy sport. "That's why we prefer to start with youngsters. We push them hard in order to achieve the fastest times. Life itself has become so quick. "Apart from the competition, anyone can practice the sport and at any age. Generally speaking, everyone learns swimming at an early age. You don't need to be a professional at the beginning but training is very much needed at the upper stages." Olena also said swimmers use different kinds of fins according to their age. "A 10-year-old uses smaller fins to know the moves. There are two types of fins -- bifins and monofins. Bifins are similar to ordinary swimming fins but monofins are difficult. It needs powerful muscles and a high degree of fitness. It needs almost six years in order to produce a real champion." A fin swimmer must stretch his arm forward, locking his hands together and move his legs like a dolphin. The undulating movement starts in the shoulders, with maximum amplitude towards the hips. The fastest a swimmer can ply the water is 21 seconds in 50 metres. If he's wearing monofins he can cover the same distance in 15 seconds and 19 seconds with bifins. Olena said fin swimming is a serious and tough sport, not trivial as some might believe. "It is a real sport." EULF, established in 1982, is a member of both the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) and the International Life Saving Federation (ILS). The international office of CMAS is in Italy and ILS is in Belgium. EULF supervises more than 800 diving centres in Egypt. The CMAS Federation includes all underwater activities. "I loved the sea and swimming since I was a child," Omar Ismail, 13, and a fin swimming medalist, said. "I dedicate my medal to my mother." "I found myself in it," Samiha Shaban, who started playing at age eight, said. "My coaches encouraged me. My dream is to be a great champion like Fares Aba Ziad." This year Egypt has the Fin Swimming World Championship in Torino, Italy, from 26 July to 6 August. To prepare, the Egyptians will have five days competition in a swimming pool then three days in three, six and 20 kilometres. It is very difficult and highly level competition. It will be two times training a day," said Olena. In the 2006 World Junior Fin Swimming Championship Hassan Khalil captured the bronze medal. In the 2006 World Championships in Italy Ahmed Hosni took the bronze. Egypt is in the top eight countries in international classification. Souhaila Emadeddin, 13, started the sport at five. At one time she was going to drown. "After that, I decided to learn how to swim. Then I moved to fin swimming which I liked very much. Fin swimmers are like mermaids." Mohsen Mohamed, 22, began fin swimming at nine. He is Egypt's third best at the sport, winning several medals in world championships in Italy, Hungary, Poland and Spain. "I like the Russian swimmers' techniques," Mohamed said. This sport isn't very popular because it isn't played in the Olympic Games." The results of the National Fin Swimming Championship: One kilometre (age 11) Hazem Abu-Leila won the gold medal while Youssef El-Dosoki won the silver and Abdel-Rahman Mohamed the bronze. Shams Othman won the gold, Andy Abdel-Tawab the silver and Souhaila Emadeddin the bronze. Two kilometres (age 12) Hassan Khalil and Reem Yaqot won the gold medals, Mohamed El-Hassan Mohamed and Aya Yunis won the silver and Tarek Okasha and Sarah Badawi the bronze. Three kilometres (age 13) Amr Ismail and Gina Alber won first place, Mohamed Kamal and Asraqat Omar took the silver and Mohamed Helmi and Sarah Mustafa won the bronze. Four kilometres (age 15) Moezeddin Ahmed won the gold, Amr Ali the silver and Omar Shaban the bronze. Toqa El-Fadl won the gold medal, Dina Nassar the silver and Nourhan El-Said the bronze. Four kilometres (age 17) Shehab Abdel-Fattah and Nourhan Yaqot won the gold medals, Mohamed Abdel-Fadil and Mennat- Allah Hassan won the silver and Hisham Sedik and Shaza Sobhi won the bronze. Six kilometres Mohsen Mohamed and Samiha Shaban won the gold medals. Nourhan Yaqot and Ibrahim Abdel-Wahab won the silver medals. Jasmine Zaki and Shehab Abdel-Fattah won the bronze.
