{"id":422431,"date":"2020-03-13T14:17:42","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T21:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=422431"},"modified":"2020-03-15T14:03:36","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T21:03:36","slug":"us-masters-swimming-cancels-spring-national-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/us-masters-swimming-cancels-spring-national-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"US Masters Swimming Cancels Spring National Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

US Masters Swimming has cancelled the 2020 USMS Spring National Championship and suspended all education courses through at least April 30.<\/p>\n

US Masters Swimming also strongly recommended all Local Masters Swimming Committees (LMSCs) suspend all of their sanctioned competitions until at least April 30 because of COVID-19 concerns, the organization announced Friday.<\/p>\n

US Masters Swimming stated:<\/p>\n

The decision to cancel Spring Nationals, which was scheduled for April 23\u201326 in San Antonio, was made jointly by USMS and the hosts of the meet, Northside ISD Aquatics and San Antonio Sports. All registrants will receive a refund.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe safety of our athletes, coaches, volunteers, fans, and staff is our utmost concern,\u201d USMS CEO Dawson Hughes<\/strong> said. \u201cIn an abundance of caution and in the best interests of our membership, we have decided that this was the best course of action.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

USMS\u2019s suspended education courses include coach certification, Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor certification, and clinics.<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition, the organization\u2019s Adult Learn-to-Swim Month campaign will not be promoted in April this year.<\/em><\/p>\n

USMS<\/a> will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and will make an announcement regarding whether future competitions and courses will be impacted.<\/em><\/p>\n

Spring Nationals was a major part of USMS\u2019s 50th anniversary celebration in 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are disappointed that we have had to cancel Spring Nationals,\u201d says Jenny Carnes, senior vice president\/chief operating officer of San Antonio Sports. \u201cHowever, it\u2019s the right decision for the safety of everyone who was planning to attend the meet. We look forward to working with U.S. Masters Swimming to have a future national championship in San Antonio.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

US Masters Swimming encourages all of its members to adhere to prevention best practices and follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and their local health officials for updates regarding COVID-19, and strongly discourages swimmers who are sick from attending workouts.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to follow updates regarding COVID-19 and will provide updates and information to our members as they become available,\u201d Hughes says. \u201cWe thank everyone in advance for taking every precaution to protect themselves and others.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Extraordinary Events In Swimming History:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia, China, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil and Japan have all had major meets affected by the coronavirus pandemic, while in the United States, the NCAA Championships have been cancelled and USA Swimming has imposed a 30-day suspension on all events, while Canada is considering what to do about its Olympic trials early next month. In Italy, where swimmers are struggling to maintain normal routines, can\u2019t get to practice and in some cases find pool time, a #stopolympics campaign was launched by the Nuoto\u00a0website<\/a> calling on solidarity among swimming nations to recognise that Olympic preparations have been blown off course and that it would be in the interests of fairness to postpone the Games for a time of calm beyond the coronavirus crisis.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Our coverage:<\/em><\/p>\n