Watersports blog

The Israel Tax Authority has reportedly filed a case against Gottex Models, Ltd., makers of mens and womens swimwear, at the Rishon LeZion Magistrates Court. Included in the complaint are two of the company’s top ranking officers.

According to media reports, officers Meir Goer and Eti Levy have evaded about 6 million sheqels or $1.47 million on import duties. Goer, who was the company’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Executive officer, currently serves as a Director while Levy is the Export Procurement Manager.

Court documents revealed that from the period 2003 to 2006, the company imported mens and womens swimwear from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The clothes were reportedly bought in several countries and then sent to their factories.

Based on the country’s trade agreements with the aforementioned countries, swimwear items are exempted from customs duties provided that these were manufactured from clothes produced from an exporting country. The falsifications were allegedly discovered from the statements submitted by the factories.

Gottex was founded in 1949 by Leah and Ermine Gottleib in Hungary. In 1997, Africa-Israel group acquired the company and expanded the business from producing raincoats to manufacturing mens and womens swimwear line.

The Customs and Immigration Marine Unit and the police force in Cayman Islands will start apprehending jet ski users who are violating the law. This move was announced after the authorities reported increase number of complaints from residents stating that jet skis are being part close to the shore or disturbing the nearby residents due to noises.

Courtney Myles, the Maine Unit Chief Inspector, said that a number of jet skis are being modified by owners in order to emanate more notice and power. He stressed that these already powerful machines should be used within the law in order to ensure safety of the users, the living things under the water and the residents. He said jet skis should not be used on areas designated as swimming zones and should not have a speed of more than five knots when the craft is within two hundred yards from shore.

Safety tips are also being shared to the residents on how to use the jet skis. Here are the following:

• Wear a life vest at all times
• Don’t use the jet ski under the influence of alcohol
• Must learn how to use the jet ski
• Inform someone about where you are intending to go and the estimated time of return.

The international swimming federation FINA has decides that swimmers can no longer wear two swimsuits. Therese Alshammar was recently told that her world record on the 50-meter butterfly was not valid. The Swedish swimmer was wearing two swimsuits; a training suit under a body suit. The FINA said that that’s no longer allowed, swimmers must only wear one suit. Swimmers wear extra layers to increase their buoyancy.

These are the new rules:

• It is not allowed to wear swimsuits that cover the neck or extend past the ankles or shoulders.

• The material the swimsuit is made of can be not more than 0.04 inches thick.

• It’s not allowed to wear more than one suit and that suit must follow the shape of the body

• The buoyancy effect of a swimsuits may not be more that one Newton (this means they cannot support more than 3.5 ounces).

Alshammar says the new rules are sexist, “Man en woman are allowed to wear small Speedo-like underpants under their suit, but women are not allowed to use extra cover for their breasts”.

Water sports have always been adventurous and fun especially for kids however, safety should always be the first priority. When taking your kids to the beach or the pool to do water sports, you have to make sure that the location has the complete safety facilities. Your children should also compulsorarily wear their life jackets, even if they know how to swim.

Life jackets, lifebuoys and whistle are the very important things that you should check before allowing your kid to do water sports. He should also be accompanied by an adult or an attentive lifeguard. Your kid should also be lectured with the first things to do when there is an emergency. Remember that you should only allow your kid to do water sports when the weather or climate is pleasant.

There are many different kinds of water sports for your kid. There are some that are done for pleasure and there are some for adventure and excitement. Your child can engage in boating, rafting, canoeing, sailing, scuba diving, surfing and of course swimming but remember, no matter what your kid chose to engage and participate in; excitement, fun and adventure are useless when his safety is at stake.

Kitesurfing is one of the latest and most popular extreme sports. It has captured the attention of adrenaline seekers everywhere and has become an international sensation. This year, Chile will host the final leg of the Kitesurfing World Cup. The competition will showcase the talents of great kitesurfers from all over the world including Dutch Kevin Langeree and Aaron Hadlow of the UK.

The Chilean event will be the 10th and final leg of the world cup. The thirty best kitesurfers in the world will be vying for the top spot in this year’s competition. The Kitesurfing World Cup will be held from October 4 – 11, 2008 in Matanzas Beach Resort some kilometers out of Santiago. This is the second time for the competition to take place in Chile.

The competition judges are Martin Vari from Argentina, Dreu Bebaisa of Australia and Guilly Brandao from Brazil.

Kitesurfing is an extreme water sport where the rider rides a surfboard while he or she is surfing on the water. It is extremely dangerous because a strong gust of wind could pull a surfer up and into the face of an oncoming wave. The parachute lines also add to the sports ‘extreme’ reputation.

Nike is pulling out of the race to develop the best Olympic swimwear possible. It seems like the sports and Apparel Company has been greatly affected by Speedo Swimwear’s Olympic triumph.

A majority of the swimmers signed by Nike wore Speedo Swimwear in the Olympic pool. Despite the fact that Nike Swimwear told them that they would be penalized if they did so. The general feeling among Olympic swimmers in Beijing was that they would not be able to place or break any records if they did not have Speedo Swimwear’s Fastskin LZR Racer. That took its toll on Nike and other swimwear brands who supported the Olympics.

“Nike getting out of the championship swimming market is the death of American elite swimming as we know it,” Evan Morgenstein said, “Some swimmers make 95 percent of their income in non-Olympic years from these apparel deals. If one of only three major players is out (Nike) and the market leader (Speedo) feels its in a position where they don’t have to pay much as long as they have the best suit, the financial model that most Olympic swimmers have lived by since 2000 is over.”

Morgenstein represents a majority of the Olympic swimmers who are sponsored by Nike swimwear.

For now, it is unclear if Nike will sign any more swimmers.

Speedo FastSkin Racer modeled by Michael Phelps