Barcelona 2013: The Catalan musician and pianist Albert Guinovart, who received an Oscar for his orchestration of the French movie “The Artist”, winner of the best soundtrack the year, will compose the soundtrack for the 15th FINA World Swimming Championships Barcelona 2013. The composer of “El cor de la ciutat” will also conduct all official music at the championships, including the accompaniment to medal ceremonies, fanfares and marches. Barcelona 2013 is scheduled to take place between July 19 and August 4 next year, with swimming in a temporary pool at the Palau Sant Jordi.

Australia: Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk, admonished for photos posted on social media pages in which they posed with guns, have barred themselves from the likes of Facebook and Twitter in order to stay focussed on performance, Wayne Smith, a leading swim writer, reports in The Australian today. D'Arcy sees the official and self-imposed ban on him using social media as a blessing in disguise, telling reporters: "I think at this stage it would just serve as a distraction, and I think it's really important in these last seven weeks to be focused on training. I am going to be coming up against some of the greatest swimmers in the world, especially Michael Phelps, and if I'm not on my game then I'm not going to have a chance." Much ado about little Down Under, some say, including writer David Penberthy in a comment piece under the headline Up In Arms Over Diddly Squat.