A Growing International Festival In Donetsk, Ukraine
Vadim Ilyushchenko announced the May 12th Donbass Open Aquatics Fest in Donetsk, Ukraine.The D.O.A.F. is an all-comers aquatics festival organized by Prychyna Gennadii Anatoljevich, founder of the Donbass Swimming Masters, and Sidorenko Alexander Alexandrovich, a 1980 Moscow Olympic Games gold medalist, in 2003 as a small masters swimming competition. But the Festival has transformed itself to something much larger, more colorful, and increasingly international than its simple roots.
The Donbass Open Aquatics Fest includes pool swimming, 1 km and 2 km open water swims, diving, mini water polo, synchronized swimming, eksljuzivnye (“Super Sprint”) competition, “Funny Dolphins” for children and adults, “The most beautiful style” competition for the most elegant swimming style, and clinics hosted by Olympic champions and world-class athletes and coaches.
“The mission of the Donbass Open Aquatics Fest has multiple layers,” explains Ilyushchenko. “We want to popularize swimming among all levels of society as well as involve those who used to be active and swim before. We also want to identify the best swimmers among veterans, professionals and swimming enthusiasts, improve the technical skills of swimming enthusiasts, and promote a healthy lifestyle. And as we grow, we would like to invite swimmers from the Americas and the rest of the world in addition to our usual participants from Ukraine, Russia, and the other European nations.”For more information, visit the Donbass Open Aquatics Fest website here and its Facebook page here.
Copyright © 2013 by Open Water Swimming
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
Latest posts by Steven Munatones (see all)
