WOWSA

Effective immediately, Tsanko Tsankov is permanently banned from any future swim ratifications by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA). This decision follows clear evidence of falsified GPS data from his September 6, 2024, Danube swim attempt, which Mr. Tsankov and his team have failed to address or explain.

The Class of 2024 Inductions & Awards Weekend took place in Cancun, Mexico, from May 17-19, with the main dinner held on the 18th. The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) celebrates the achievements and contributions of those who have excelled in the sport of international marathon swimming.

World Open Water Swimming Association Advisory Board’s Decision on Diana Nyad’s 2013 Cuba to Florida Swim Official Statement on the Denial of Ratification for Diana Nyad’s Swim

San Francisco, CA (WOWSA) September 11, 2023 – In August 2013, Diana Nyad undertook her 5th attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida. This endeavor took place after similar Cuba-to-Florida crossings by Walter Poenisch (utilizing a shark cage, with snorkel and fins) and Susan Maroney (utilizing a shark cage, without snorkel and fins).

Following the Diana Nyad crossing, a number of controversies related to the swim were raised and shared publicly by experienced open water swimmers. Some of the controversies can be summarized as follows:

The purpose of this report is to retrieve, present and analyze the historical data of Diana Nyad’s Cuba to Florida swim in 2013. To retrieve this data, 650+ email exchanges, 36 Zoom calls, fifteen interviews were conducted and over 2000+ photos, over 100 videos, crew statements and over 50 documents were recovered.

Part 1 of this report examines the swim

The evidence from the observer and navigator logs, archival photos, and video, present at least one log entry or more and/or photo or video for each hour for all 53 hours of the swim. Gaps in observer log reporting is cross checked and supplemented with photo and/or video evidence.