October 12, 2007

Ottawa, ON – Swimming Canada and the Aquatic Federation of Canada (AFC) is proud to announce today the appointment of Bill Hogan of St-John’s Newfoundland as President of the AFC. Hogan will be replacing Linda Cuthbert following her 4-year mandate as AFC President.

"The AFC was facing significant challenges both internally and externally when I became President and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished over the year," stated past AFC president, Linda Cuthbert. "The aquatic sports represent a significant number of summer sport medals and it’s important that we work together to increase opportunities for the athletes and coaches from all the member sports."

The AFC’s Presidential mandate consists of representing Canadian Aquatic Sports (Swimming, Diving, Synchro and Water Polo) to the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA), ASUA, Sport Canada and COC in Canada. The AFC represents the collective voice for its member sports to strategic partners internationally and domestically in order to enhance participation and high performance opportunities for Canadians.

"We are very excited to have Bill nominated as President of the Aquatic Federation of Canada,” declared Pierre Lafontaine, CEO and National Coach for Swimming Canada. “Bill has been involved in Aquatic sports for several years from the local to the International arena. He has been a great ambassador for Canadian Swimming on the International stage and we are very fortunate to have such a passionate individual represent us to the FINA Bureau."

In 2001 Bill Hogan was selected as a FINA International Official Referee. Mr. Hogan has represented Canada as a Technical Official for several major International events such as the Olympic Games, FINA World Aquatic Championships and Pan Amercian Games. In addition, Mr. Hogan has contributed to Canadian Swimming as member of the Swimming Canada Board of Directors, as well as several technical committees.

A Senior High School administrator by trade, Bill has been the recipient of the Swimming Canada President Award, Official of the Year and Administrator.

About Swimming Canada
Swimming Canada serves as the national governing body of competitive swimming. Swimming Canada’s vision of Swimming to Win; Winning for Life! reflects the lifelong attributes of the sport. The federation comprises 75,000 members and 400 swim clubs across the country. Canadians are global leaders in high performance swimming and development for both able-bodied swimmers and swimmers with a disability. Swimming is recognized as one of the most celebrated and successful Canadian summer Olympic sports. For more information on Swimming Canada, its activities and programs please visit www.swimming.ca.

About the Aquatic Federation of Canada
The Aquatic Federation of Canada is a member of the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) in Canada. The rules of FINA, the international federation responsible for the sports of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo, require there to be only one recognized member federation of FINA in each country throughout the world.

The member organizations of the AFC are:
Swimming Natation Canada
Diving Plongeon Canada
Synchro Canada
Water Polo Canada