Spain: After clocking a 23.97 win over 50m butterfly at Spanish national in Barcelona, Rafa Muñoz (2009 world record of 22.43) told reporters that he has been served papers relating to the charge that he failed to tell anti-doping agents of his whereabouts for many months after Rome world titles last year. The penalty for such an offense is two years. But Munoz's only comment was: "The papers arrived in English not in Spanish, and my mother doesn't understand English." The Spanish media continues to cite September as the moment when Munoz will face the FINA Doping Panel - after competing at European Championships in Budapest. If Munoz is found to have fallen foul of rules, all his results from Budapest will be cancelled, and in the case of him having made the podium, events orchestrated by officials who have worked to ensure that other competitors will be deprived of their right to celebrate their moment (for example, no podium ceremony for the 4th man home, who might then be handed his medal in a plastic bag at some meet along the line with no one watching and no crowd there to applaud his achievement, for example, no place in the final for the man in 9th, and so on and so forth). All of that could be avoided by a hearing this side of Budapest, which would allow Munoz to race in the light if cleared, or to step aside if not. Meanwhile in Barcelona, Claudia Dasca took the 1,500m free crown in 16:30.12.
Netherlands: Dutch sprint ace Ranomi Kromowidjojo and slated as a Euro title hope in Budapest next month has been hospitalized with meningitis, according to reports. No news yet as to wehther Kromowidjojo will now even make it to Hungary. Her teammate Inge Dekker is out of the Budapest meet as she recovers from a shoulder injury.
South Korea: Park Tae-hwan, Olympic 400m free champion, has raced for the first time in domestic waters since October 2008, the 21-year-old clocking 2:01.78 in the 200m medley at the MBC Swim Meet in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. Park has just returned from an 80-day training stint with coach Michael Bohl, mentor to double Olympic medley champ Stephanie Rice, in Brisbane, Australia.
Roma09: the scandal of Roma09 worlds, its debts and the argument and legal action over building works reached the next stage yesterday when Mayor Gianni Alemanno was heard by the public prosecutor as a witness in the investigation into alleged abuses in building construction and renovation of facilities for the world swim championships. Alemanno, Gazzetta reports, said: "I reiterated that all acts of the Administration were inspired by the assessment of the nature of public works and the consequent interest in the city to maintain them." A judgement of it all is some way down the line.
