Australia Eager for Return To Pool After Six-Week COVID-19 Lockout

TRAINING HUB: The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre will become a training hub for COVID-19 return to training in South East Queensland. Photo Courtesy Gold Coast City Council.

Queensland and NSW High Performance program swimmers, with their sights set on next year’s postponed Tokyo Olympics, will be next in line for a return to the pool as Australia prepares to start swimming again.

And they are hoping the return will be sooner rather than later following a six-week COVID-19 shutout and today’s Federal Cabinet meeting.

Swimming’s re-start is part of a plan to re-launch Australian sport on both elite and community levels as outlined in the recently released Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Framework For Rebooting Sport In A Covid-19 environment.

MAKING THE CALL: USC Spartans coach Chris Mooney will be back on deck on the Sunshine Coast. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

HP swimmers have already returned in South Australia and Western Australia with Queensland, NSW and Victoria next to follow.

Australia’s Federal Cabinet will meet today to re-assess COVID-19 crisis restrictions across the board with States and Territories to pass on decisions that affect their respective communities.

Decisions are based on expert AIS medical advice with the States and territories responsible for sport and recreation resumption decisions both at the professional and community level and will determine progression through the phases, taking account of local epidemiology, risk mitigation strategies and public health capability.

The AIS has made it clear in its communication with all sporting organisations that any “Decisions regarding the timing of resumption of sporting activity must be in close consultation with Federal, State/Territory and Local Public Health Authorities. The priority at all times must be to preserve public health, minimising the risk of community transmission.”

High Performance swimming programs and community pools have been closed since March 23 with swimmers rolling their arms over in backyard pools, in the ocean and in creeks while logging on to Zoom for strength and conditioning and yoga sessions under the direction of their respective coaches.

The lifting of restrictions affecting the swimming industry in Australia will see a gradual return for swimming squads and in the all important Learn To Swim Industry following the recent release of ASCTA and Swim Australia’s advocacy plan to support swim schools, coaches and teachers.

Chris Nesbit with Maddie Gough and Kiah Melverton

WORDS OF WISDOM: Coach Chris Nesbit (TSS) with distance freestyle duo Maddie Gough (left) and Kiah Melverton. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

In the High Performance area, Australia’s Tokyo aspirants are patiently waiting for the green light to return to training in South East Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne with the re-start of programs expected to be rolled out over the next two weeks – and as early as Monday, May 11.

Those return dates could well be confirmed following the National Cabinet meeting that has overseen Australia’s fight against the killer pandemic and the gradual relaxing of restrictions.

Swimming World understands that Swimming Australia in conjunction with the AIS has been in discussions with Queensland authorities for the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre at Southport to become a HP hub post the Coronavirus lockdown.

And in NSW for the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre to also be re-opened to host the NSW-based HP swimmers including Dolphins pair Matthew Wilson and Bradley Woodward under Head Coach Adam Kable along with the Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre in Victoria and Chandler in Brisbane and the University of Sunshine Coast program under Chris Mooney and Nathan Doyle to also host their respective HP athletes.

The decisions on all lifting of restrictions will be largely in the respective Queensland, NSW and Victorian State Government courts in what will continue to be a State-by-State basis as authorities move to work through the check lists of criteria to be ticked off.

High Performance squads in South Australia and Western Australia have already returned to the water under their respective State authorities, and under strict distancing guidelines, given the advice and dramatic drop in COVID-19 cases in those States.

Those drops will be one of the major considerations on all decisions moving forward.

The Gold Coast is home to over 40 members of the Australian Dolphins squad, from Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Griffith University, Bond University, The Southport School (TSS), Somerset College and Miami Swimming Club.

THE WORD: Michael Bohl with protege Mick Palfrey while Craig Jackson looks on.Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Swimmers including Rio Olympians Cameron McEvoy and David Morgan (TSS) under Chris Nesbit; Emily Seebohm, Emma McKeon, David McKeon, Georgia Bohl, Thomas Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University) with Michael Bohl and James Roberts (Somerset College) with Ashley Callus.

They will be enjoyed by the likes of Commonwealth Games and World Championship representatives Laura Taylor, Kiah Melverton and Madeleine Gough (TSS), Elijah Winnington, Alex Graham and Jenna Strauch (Bond University) with Richard Scarce and Leiston Pickett and Tristan Hollard (Southport Olympic) under coach Glenn Baker.

Australian National Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren is also based on the Gold Coast and will no doubt oversee the co-ordination of a welcome return to training.

When Squads return it could well see swimmers training one swimmer per lane but with some leeway under the four square metre protocols proposed plans out-lined in the AIS plans but there are sure to be strict guidelines and protocols in and around their arrival and departure and the use of change rooms.

THE WRITE STUFF: Coach Mick Palfrey sets out a program. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers and the Peter Bishop-led Marion group have been back in the pool in Adelaide for the past week while coach Mick Palfrey’s group with Olympian and world champion relay swimmer Brianna Throssell in his team, have also been back in the water at the Perth-based HBF Aquatic Centre.

Coaches and swimmers are “champing at the bit” to get back on deck, as Throssell said she had never looked forward so much to swimming up and down, “following that black line.”

And she is sure to have plenty of friends when the lanes are finally re-opened around the country in the coming weeks.

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