AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 148, 22 June 1918, Page 14

AQUATICS.

SWIMMING, There has been much discussion regarding the status of Miss Fanny Durack and Miss Mina Wylie, the women swimmers, in their- visit to the United State.; - The' question has also been raised as to whether they carry amateur credentials "of any sort, and' a writer in one Sydney paper appears to be doing his best to try and prevent the trip eventuating. One can only surmise what his object is, but Mr. W. H. Hill, secretary of the Australian Amateur Swimming Union, has made the following statement:— "There is a body known as the International Amateur Swimming Federation, which controls the international amateur swimming contests throughout the world. This Federation of 17 nations includes the Australian Amateur . Swimming Union, and the Athletic Union of the United States, which controls swimming in America. In the agreement on-which the Federation is based there is a clause which states that each body mutually agrees to recognise each other as the only association governing swimming in the respective countries. The Australian Amateur Swimming Union is therefore, the only body in this country which would he recognised internationally, and all other correspondence is informal. This Union, of course, has State representatives, of which the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association is one. "Another clause of the agreement provides that a visiting swimmer must carry proper credentials from the body recognised as the governing body in his or her country. These credentials, I may state, both Miss Durack and Miss Wylie carry. The statement that I understood that tha Ladies Amateur Swimming Association would place no obstacles in the way is correct I certainly did consider it unthinkable that two champions who have done so much for the sport, and arc paying their own expenses in embarking on a tour which will, I think, bring to Australia nothing but credit, should be humbugged In any case, they carry full credentials from the executive of my .Union and I anticipate no further trouble.'