Swimmer has world record quashed

SYDNEY // Sweden's Therese Alshammar broke her own 50 metre butterfly world record at the Australian swimming titles today but was later disqualified by Swimming Australia for wearing two swimsuits. Alshammar set a time of 25.44 seconds in the morning qualifying heats to take 0.02 of a second off the record 25.46 she set in Barcelona, Spain in June 2007. But officials later discovered that Alshammar was wearing two suits in the race. Swimming Australia said that under swimming governing body FINA's (Fédération Internationale de Natation) new rules that were ratified last weekend, and Swimming Australia's rules instituted last year, Alshammar would be disqualified because it states that swimmers may only wear one suit.

Swimming Australia spokesman Ian Hanson confirmed Alshammar would appeal the decision which came after a five-hour meeting. The appeal will be heard later today by the meet referee Janelle Barnett. Last Saturday in Dubai, FINA adopted new rules for the hi-tech suits that helped produce more than 100 world records in just over a year. The guidelines "revise the requirements for swimsuit approval" and it was said they would be in place for the world championships in Rome starting on July 17.

FINA stipulated that swimsuits should not cover the neck and will not extend past the shoulders and ankles. Alshammar, 31, would not have had another chance to break her mark at the Australian championships. As a foreigner, she is not allowed to compete in semi-finals or finals and there is no B final for the race. Alshammar, the reigning world champion in the non-Olympic event, has been training with the Australian swimmers in Sydney for the past two months.

"I am a bit shocked myself, and I am very happy," Alshammar said before learning of her disqualification. "I have had a great couple of months in Australia, it is the best place in the world for swimming." The race continued the Swedish swimmer's strong performances in the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre pool - her three Olympic medals all came at Sydney in 2000. Alshammar had a disappointing Beijing Olympics, heading to last year's Games as a strong medal prospect in the 50m freestyle.

But she missed the final at the Water Cube after she discovered a tear in her swimsuit just before the start of her semi-final, and failed to qualify for the last eight. *AP

The language of diplomacy in 1853

Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)

We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.

Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale

Pots for the Asian Qualifiers

Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka

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PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem

Rating: 4/5

Du Football Champions

The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.