Allan Maki and James Christie

After weeks of controversy, collapse, panic and despair, the 2005 world aquatic championships have been returned to Montreal -- and for swimmer Marianne Limpert, it's a second chance she doesn't want to waste.

More than a year ago, Limpert planned to race for the final time in front of family and friends at the Montreal worlds in July. But the International Swimming Federation, known by its French acronym, FINA, pulled the event on Jan. 19 after organizers said they were $6-million short of reaching their $36-million budget.

FINA's decision to revoke the championships because of a shortfall in corporate sponsorship was a major embarrassment for Montreal, which became the first city to lose a major championship since London was dropped as the host of the 2001 world athletics championships.

But yesterday, FINA said all requested guarantees had been met by Montreal, thereby confirming the obligations agreed to in 2001 when the city was selected as the host of the world championships. For Montreal Mayor G�rald Tremblay, it was a personal triumph.

For Limpert, a 32-year-old Olympic medalist who has gone through as many emotional twists as the 2005 championships, yesterday's news was a welcome relief.

"I was feeling a bit pessimistic," said Limpert, who failed to qualify for last year's Summer Olympics in Athens after winning a silver medal in Atlanta in 1996. "The death of Yvon DesRochers [the chief executive officer of the Montreal organizing committee, who apparently committed suicide on Feb. 2] was not a good sign.

"I had resigned myself that the worlds would go somewhere else. That wasn't what I wanted, but I figured the world team trials would be my last chance to swim in Canada.

"Getting the chance again, I couldn't believe it," she added. "Now maybe I can end my career the way I was looking forward to -- but I have to make the team first."

News that Canada will be the host to the world's best aquatic athletes was well received.

Swimming Canada president Dan Thompson, who competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said: "Younger athletes and fans were going to miss seeing the championships on television or in person. I can think back to when I was emerging into the sport. I saw the 1976 Olympics and the light turned on for me. I know the impact of seeing something like that, because when I saw it, I knew that's what I wanted to do. . . . We're totally thrilled to have the championships again."

Linda Cuthbert, the president of the Aquatic Federation of Canada, said she never lost hope that her city would get back an event that is expected to attract more than 500 athletes.

"Sometimes it takes a crisis for people to realize: 'Gee, what we had there was a good thing. Let's get on board.' And sometimes people need a shakeup to realize."

The 2005 championships were shaken by a number of crises, not the least of which was the death of DesRochers on Feb. 2. Montreal police are investigating the death as a suicide. He had been under attack for the removal of the Games by FINA and was criticized heavily by the media.

Provincial and federal politicians had called for investigations of the failure and the committee's finances. A couple of days before DesRochers's death, Mayor Tremblay, after shuttling to Europe for emergency meetings with FINA president Mustapha Larfaoui, mused that a change might be in order at the top of the organization if the championships were restored.

"I'm very happy that FINA's steering committee has given us a second chance," Tremblay said yesterday.

"These Games are very important for Montreal and we'll do everything we can to make sure they're a very big success."

"Montrealers are proud and I am sure I can count on their support as well as that of the Quebec government and the federal government."

Larfaoui, who felt slighted in January when government members of the organizing committee suggested FINA should put up money in good faith to help with the shortfall, said Tremblay's non-stop effort to win back FINA's faith was "incroyable [incredible]."

"I think it's the right decision," said Richard Pound, a Canadian member of the International Olympic Committee, who had said that FINA had to weigh the two years of background preparation already done in Montreal, "rather than to rely on a lick and a promise effort of five months or less somewhere else."

While Pound and federal Heritage Minister Liza Frulla jumped in to lend their weight to the rescue effort, Pound said the credit belonged to Tremblay.

"FINA knew me and they knew about the two years of organization," Pound said. "But the mayor was the new element. He deserves the gold medal for that."

Organizers will need to get moving on anemic ticket sales. They won't have one of the sport's biggest names, Ian Thorpe of Australia, as a box-office draw. Thorpe has said he planned to take it easy this year so as not to burn out before the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

"Thorpe is Thorpe," Pound said, "but there's [American] Michael Phelps, too. You've got to be careful: If you're swimming and you want be in Beijing, you can't afford to miss too many events the level of a world championship, or kids out there start thinking they can beat you."

Pound said the championships' board of directors will meet to determine how to fill the CEO's position.

"Now we have the event back, we have to figure out how to deal with the situation," he said. "We'll get someone to replace him.

"It's important we get working on that right away. Harold Cliff is still there and he's a former president of the Aquatic Federation of Canada. We haven't lost that expertise or the benefit of the two years' work."

Spectators will likely find diving the biggest ticket of the championships. Most of Canada's top springboard divers, including defending world champions Emilie Heymans and Alexandre Despatie train in Montreal.

put on line by SVP