F.R.E.E. (Freediving Regulations & Education Entity) has officially announced today that it will start verifying performances by disabled freedivers. This unprecedented step, the first one of its kind in the sport’s history, is aimed at recognizing the potentials and efforts of an ever-growing population of freedivers that practice and excel at the sport despite their physical limitations.
During the press conference that took place at the organization’s headquarters in Miami, USA, Rudi Castineyra, F.R.E.E. president, commented: "We are very proud of this, it has been a long time coming and we have worked very hard in creating a new set of rules to suit these athletes, and finally we are ready. Ever since the creation of our organization back in 1998 we have received numerous requests from around the world to verify such performances and we felt it was our duty to make the needed adjustments so that we could welcome these extraordinary individuals as full members of our freediving community. Our sport is a very demanding endeavor and an incredible challenge, and the amount of effort and passion that is required for these divers to practice it is immense. I have been privileged enough to meet and train several of them in the past few years and this experience has been one of the most inspiring ones I have had in my diving career. It is time for the world to see what they are capable of"
Castineyra also revealed that they have already accepted a verification request for a female record attempt and said that the new set of revised rules and procedures will be published on the www.divingFREE.com website soon.
