The 2012 Global Open Water Swimming Conference will be held in Long Beach, California on September 21 – 23.

Registration just opened and already open water swimming coaches, swimmers, administrators, race directors from Panama, Tunisia, South Africa, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Bangladesh, Croatia, Dominican Republic and Slovenia are already coming.

The following luminaries of the sport will be honored during the conference for their recent induction in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame:

• Larisa Ilchenko (Russia), 2008 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medalist
• Maarten van der Weijden (Netherlands), 2008 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medalist and leukemia survivor
• Sri Chinmoy (India) posthumously inducted as Honour Administrator
• Ned Denison (Ireland), accomplished marathon swimmer and coach
• David Parcells (USA), posthumously inducted as Honour Swimmer
• Faros Maratón Swim (Croatia) as an Honour Organisation
• Irish Long Distance Swimming Association (Ireland) as an Honour Organisation
• Marcos Díaz (Dominican Republic), United Nations swimming ambassador
• Drury Gallagher (USA), founder of the Manhattan Island Swimming Association
• Chad Hundeby (USA), English Channel and Catalina Channel record holder
• Eleanor Studley Hurd (USA), first woman to swim the Hellespont between Europe and Asia
• Des Renford (Australia), 19-time English Channel swimmer posthumously honored

The following World Open Water Swimming Award recipients will also be honored:

• Nejib Belhedi (Tunisia) 2011 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year
• Pilar Geijo (Argentina), 2011 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
• Jamie Patrick (USA), 2011 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year

Speakers on a wide variety of fascinating topics will include (speaker list is not yet complete with additional luminaries to be confirmed):

• Wayne Riddin (South Africa), race director of the Midmar Mile
• Mark Perry (UK), head coach of British Swimming
• Colin Hill (UK), Technical Director of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics
• Diana Nyad (USA), International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame dual inductee
• Shelley Taylor-Smith (Australia), 7-time world professional marathon swimming champion
• Forrest Nelson (USA), Catalina Channel Swimming Federation president and channel swimmer
• Dr. Marcy MacDonald (USA), 12-time English Channel swimmer
• Martin Strel (Slovenia), Big River Man
• Yutaka Shinozaki (Japan), Founder of Japan International Open Water Swimming Association
• Craig Dietz (USA), Limbless Waterman
• Erik Van Loon (Netherlands), King of the Rivers race director
• Ivan Torres (Mexico): Cancun Open Water Swimming
• Greta Andersen (USA), Olympic Gold Medalist and International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee
• Ricardo Ratto (Brazil), FINA open water swimming and Olympic Marathon Swim referee
• Dr. Khwaja Aziz (Bangladesh), FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee

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