EIN GEDI, Israel -- A multinational group of swimmers swam seven hours through the salty, soupy waters of the Dead Sea on Tuesday in a bid to draw attention to the environmental degradation of the fabled lake.At dawn, the 25 swimmers left on boats from Ein Gedi on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea to Wadi Mujib on the Jordanian side. Then, wearing special protective masks and snorkels, the swimmers paddled through the thick waters in what turned into a 17-kilometer (11-mile) swim from Jordan to Israel.Swimming in the Dead Sea is unusual.Tourists typically dip themselves from the beaches and float on the water with the help of the lakes high salt concentration. It also draws people from around the world who believe the waters high mineral content is beneficial for skin conditions.The Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth at 423 meters (1,388 feet) below sea level, has shrunk significantly over recent decades, a process environmentalists blame on unsustainable water management and over-exploitation of the lakes minerals.Were here for the first ever Dead Sea swim challenge with 25 swimmers that come from all over the world to send out a clear message to save the Dead Sea, which is shrinking today at an alarming rate, said Mira Edelstein, from the environmental group EcoPeace, one of the swims organizers.Organizers say the Dead Seas water level has fallen more than 25 meters (80 feet) over the last three decades. The lakes southern basin, disconnected from the shrinking northern side, has seen flooding in recent years because of heavy industrialization.The swimmers, who hailed from Israel, the Palestinian territories and as far as New Zealand, South Africa and Denmark, wore special face masks to shield them from the briny water, which is painful to the eyes and can be deadly to ingest. The group was accompanied by support vessels with medical equipment and food.Despite the tough conditions, only three swimmers failed to finish -- two who suffered from dehydration and a third who complained of chills.Four swimmers took breaks on the medical vessel. Palestinian lifeguard Yussuf Matari, 61, was treated with an IV as he rested in the shade of a boats tarp before plunging in to the waters again.Jackie Cobell, a British long-distance swimmer, called the Dead Sea swim historic and iconic, before descending into the water. This is really important because its disappearing fast.Those who neared the shoreline first waited so all could finish the race together. Speakers blared We are the Champions, the iconic hit by the English rock band Queen.I must say that I did not expect this swim to be so hard and what was really, really tough conditions is that salt. Constantly trying to get the salt out of your mask and the chafing, said Jean Craven, a founder of Madswimmer, a South African charity that participates in open water swims around the world to raise money for childrens causes.This was a challenge, not a race, he added. It was really great to see the camaraderie, you know, everyone trying to bring the slowest swimmers along with them. Jason Williams Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. 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Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou is adamant Tim Cahill remains part of his World Cup plans after omitting the veteran striker from this months away qualifier against Thailand.Postecoglou dropped a bombshell on Wednesday by leaving Cahill out of his final 23-man squad over fitness issues.The 36-year-old Melbourne City marquee missed last weekends A-League win over Adelaide with achilles soreness.But while hes likely to return on Friday night against Brisbane, Postecoglou opted to leave Cahill in Australia to recover fully instead of the risk of putting him through an intense 10-day training camp before the November 15 game in Bangkok.Its the second time in 20 months an achilles issue has forced him out of an international after also being sidelined for last Marchs friendly with Germany.With his 37th birthday fast approaching, Cahills exclusion has sparked questions about whether age is finally catching up with the talisman as he inches towards a fourth World Cup appearance.Yet hes remained a key component of Postecoglous set-up, more recently used off the bench for limited periods but still consistently contributing to the scoresheet.Postecoglou insists Australias all-time leading scorer need not worry his international career is in jeopardy, two goals short of 50 and six caps shy of a century.He is still very important for us, Postecoglou said.Timmy missed the last (A-League) game and had a bit of an interrupted pre-season.We took him along to the last camp and he got through most of the work but, for us, its more important he has a strong A-League season.The direct beneficiary is Brisbane striker Jamie Maclaren - not named in the extended 30-man squad but getting the nod ahead of Apo Giannou based on his strong club form.Maclaren, debuting against England in June, is also playing rregular football.dddddddddddd Giannou, however, would be more than two weeks without a game having just finished the Chinese Super League season with Guangzhou R&F.It was an important factor given the in-form Tomi Juric suffered a knock last weekend playing for FC Luzern.I didnt want to be left short up front having two players in one position being underdone physically, Postecoglou said.Jamie missed out on the initial squad but I thought, against Central Coast and then him scoring (against Glory), hes looked pretty good.Ryan McGowan and Chris Ikonomidis were also dropped from the team that drew last month with Saudi Arabia and Japan, with Nathan Burns, Josh Risdon and Milos Degenek elevated alongside Maclaren.Luke Brattan, Tommy Oar, Jason Geria and Aziz Behich were trimmed from the 30-man line-up.The unbeaten Socceroos will start arriving in Bangkok this weekend for the match which signifies the halfway mark of the Socceroos final stage on the road to Russia 2018.Having slid to second in Group B, two points behind Saudi Arabia, Australia can ill afford to slip up against last-placed Thailand on their mission to qualify as one of the top two in their six-team group.The match will go ahead despite the recent death of the countrys beloved king, although supporters have been asked to treat it as a solemn occasion.Australia: Nathan Burns, Milos Degenek, Adam Federici, Alex Gersbach, Craig Goodwin, Jackson Irvine, Mile Jedinak, James Jeggo, Tomi Juric, Robbie Kruse, Mitchell Langerak, Mathew Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Jamie Maclaren, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Josh Risdon, Tommy Rogic, Mathew Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Brad Smith, Matthew Spiranovic, Bailey Wright. 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