Andrea Prayer

FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and FINA Executives

Andrea Prayer at 2009 World Championships

Andrea Prayer Galletti of Italy is a member of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) that is responsible for advising, analyzing, appointing, investigating, studying and recommending rules, regulations, protocols, procedures, equipment and specifications regarding the preparations and execution of open water swimming events sanctioned and organized by FINA, the world's governing body of aquatics.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

• He is a businessman who serves many roles with the Italian Swimming Federation, LEN and FINA.
• He was appointed to become the acting FINA TOWSC Honorary Secretary in March 2012.
• He is a member of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee for the 2017-2021 term.
• He was the race organizer of the open water swimming races at the 2009 FINA World Swimming Championships under extraordinarily trying circumstances. Under difficult conditions and tight deadlines, Andrea and his staff created an Open Water Village, costing over US$700,000, on Ostia Beach in Italy. The Open Water Village had everything for the athletes, coaches, support staff and fans. Andrea also coordinated with the live television coverage with Rai TV. He and his staff hosted a well-organized competition for 152 athletes from 42 countries. However, a storm hit the day before the competition was scheduled to begin and wiped everything out. Andrea worked feverishly to restore the venue and start the competition within two days.
• He served as a official in the men's and women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Copacabana Beach at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
• He served as a official in the men's and women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Tokyo Bay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held on 4-5 August 2021.

FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Members

2021-2025 FINA TOWSC Members

• Chairperson Sid Cassidy (USA)
• Vice Chairperson Ferry Weertman (Netherlands)
• Honorary Secretary John West (New Zealand)
• Committee Member Avelino Monteiro Avelino (Senegal)
• Committee Member Emilie Van Veenhuyzen (South Africa)
• Committee Member Jorge Delgado (Ecuador)
• Committee Member Tomás Haces (Cuba)
• Committee Member Abdul Al Alawi (Oman)
• Committee Member Ioki Ichikawa (Japan)
• Committee Member Petros Arestis (Cyprus)
• Committee Member Baret Avedikoglu (Turkey)
• Committee Member Szabolcs Fodor (Hungary)
• Committee Member Luis Liberato (Portugal)
• Committee Member Britta Kamrau (Germany)
• Committee Member Bill Ford (Australia)
• Events Sub-committee Member Nikolay Zagritsenko (Kazakhstan)
• Events Sub-committee Member Tanya Bogomilova (Bulgaria)
• Events Sub-committee Member Andrea Prayer (Italy)
• Events Sub-committee Member Juan Carlos Tenorio (Venezuela)
• Events Sub-committee Member Edward Cheng (Hong Kong)
• Events Sub-committee Member Ziyad Kashmiri (Saudi Arabia)
• Paris 2024 Olympic Games liaison Bénédicte Compois (France)
• FINA Bureau Liaison Zouheir El Moufti (Morocco)

2017-2021 FINA TOWSC Members

Ronnie Wong, Chairman
Sid Cassidy, Vice Chairman
Sam Greetham, Honorary Secretary
Britta Kamrau, Athlete Representative
Abdul Monem Khamis Al Alawi, Member
Abdulla Al Zahmi, Member
Luís Baptista, Member
Jorge Delgado, Member
Bill Ford, Member
Avelino Monteiro, Member
Jean-Paul Narce, Member
Andrea Prayer, Member
Fernando Terrilli, Member
Samuel Ufitimana, Member
John West, Member
Tanya Bogomilova, Events Sub-Committee
Soh Yew Siang Soh, Events Sub-Committee
Morgan Toro Martinez, Events Sub-Committee
Noam Zwi, Events Sub-Committee
Zouheir El Moufti, Bureau Liaison

2013-2017 FINA TOWSC Members

Chairman: Ronnie Wong of Hong Kong
Vice Chairman: Jorge Delgado Panchana of Ecuador
Honorary Secretary: Andrea Prayer of Italy

Representatives of the African region:
Joaquim Pestana Costa of Angola
David Ngugi of Kenya

Representatives of the Americas region:
Fernando Terrilli of Argentina
Tomas Haces German of Cuba
Sid Cassidy of USA

Representatives of the Asian region:
Abdulmonem Al Alawi of Oman
Mubarak Abdulla Al Zahmi of United Arab Emirates

Representatives of the European region:
Jean Paul Narce of France
Samuel Greetham of Great Britain
Noam Zwi of Israel

Representatives of the Oceania region:
William Ford of Australia
John West of New Zealand

Events Sub-Committee:
Christiane Fanzeres of Brazil
Ayman Saad of Egypt
Jon Hestoy of Faroe Islands

FINA Bureau Liaison is Dennis Miller of Fiji

2009-2013 FINA TOWSC Members

1. Ronnie Wong Man Chiu, Chairman
2. Jorge Aurelio Delgado Panchana, Vice Chairman
3. Flavio Bomio, Honorary Secretary
4. Sid Cassidy, Member [replacement for Steven Munatones of USA]
5. Khwaja Aziz, Member
6. Valerijus Belovas, Member
7. Tomas Haces German, Member
8. Samuel Greetham, Member
9. Zouheir El Moufti, Member
10. Andrea Prayer, Member
11. John West, Member
12. Noam Zwi, Member
13. Washington Beltran, Events Sub-Committee
14. Hatem Seifallah Mohamed Ibrahim, Events Sub-Committee
15. Shelley Taylor-Smith, Events Sub-Committee
16. Dennis Miller, FINA Bureau Liaison

External links

• Officials Leading The Way To The 2024 Paris Olympics Marathon Swim
• Say It Ain’t So, Ronnie Wong. Thank You Very Much
• Officiating At The Tokyo Olympics – The Men’s 10K Marathon Swim
• Officiating At The Tokyo Olympics – The Women’s 10K Marathon Swim
• Olympic Swimmers Will Get Up A Little Earlier In The Heat
• 2012 Olympic Marathon Swimming 10km Coverage
• Andrea Prayer at the 2009 World Swimming Championships
• New FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Announced
• FINA Official Website
• Open Water Swimming
• FINA Open Water Swimming Officials Schools In 2013
• Marathon Swimming
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• I Got Stung
• Experimentation In The Sport Of Open Water Swimming
• Open Water Swimming Epicenter Shifts To Egypt
• FINA Should Listen To Jack Burnell And His Competitors
• He Said, He Said. Different Views Of Olympic 10K Marathon
• Sid Cassidy Volunteers For Decades In The Open Water