Long Beach, California, Sept. 2012
At the Global Open Water Swimming Conference on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, Sri Chinmoy was posthumously inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as a mentor, inspirer and "Honour Administrator" during the induction ceremony on Sept. 22nd, 2012.
Quoting from the Daily News of Open Water Swimming and Openwaterpedia:
"Sri Chinmoy, who passed away in 2007, was an Indian spiritual teacher, poet, artist and athlete. He inspired many in the endurance world and is the namesake of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team that holds many athletic events worldwide including the International Self-Transcendence Marathon-Schwimmen.
Sri Chinmoy advocated self-transcendence by expanding one's consciousness to conquer the mind's perceived limitations. In the spirit of self‑transcendence, his students have completed extraordinary feats of endurance. Members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have swum the English Channel over forty times and are an integral part of the renowned and always popular International Self-Transcendence Marathon-Schwimmen.
His legacy will be recognized at the 2012 Global Open Water Swimming Conference and honored the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame dinner on the RMS Queen Mary on September 22nd in Long Beach, California."
Members of the International Marathon Team, including Channel swimmers Vasanti Niemz from Germany and Abhejali Bernadova from Czech Republic introduced Sri Chinmoy and his legacy to the audience and accepted the IMSHOF Certificate on Sri Chinmoy's behalf.
(Foto: Lexie Kelly, Steven Munatones, Vasanti Niemz, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Abhejali Bernadova)
Steven Munatones, Vice-President and Chief Administrator of the board of directors of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in turn was honoured and awarded the Torch Bearer Award of the World Harmony Run founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1987 (and since 2013 renamed Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run) for his selfless and untiring inspiration and efforts in the field of global open water swimming.
Many honourees and guests were happy to then share a moment of peace with the torch.
More on Vasanti's blog www.channel-triathlon.com
With Diana Nyad (Xtreme Dream - Cuba-Florida), swimming legend Greta Andersen and Marcos Diaz (Swim Across the Continents)
