{"id":422435,"date":"2020-03-13T14:26:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T21:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=422435"},"modified":"2020-03-16T09:54:09","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T16:54:09","slug":"swimming-canada-officially-postpones-olympic-trials-paralympic-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-canada-officially-postpones-olympic-trials-paralympic-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming Canada Officially Postpones Olympic Trials, Paralympic Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swimming Canada officially postponed the Olympic Trials and Paralympic Trials as part of containment measures being enforced in the country, in common with many others, due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The trials have not been cancelled, though Swimming Canada confirmed that they will not take place on the originally scheduled days, March 30-April 5.<\/p>\n

Swimming Canada stated this in its release:<\/p>\n

Following Friday\u2019s directives from the Government of Ontario to restrict gatherings of more than 250 people, Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi has confirmed that all national events through at least April 20 will be cancelled or postponed, including the Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWith 3,000 to 5,000 people expected to attend daily, our Olympic and Paralympic Trials would grossly exceed the recommendations from Ontario\u2019s chief medical officer. We also recognize that other provinces and cities are restricting access to pools and some athletes will not be able to train and prepare properly,\u201d El-Awadi said. \u201cFor these reasons, among others, the Trials will not run as scheduled from March 30 to April 5 in Toronto, and all Trials tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be refunded.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2020 Eastern and Western Championships in Windsor, Ont., and Saskatoon<\/em>
\nApril 16-19 will also be cancelled.<\/em><\/p>\n

Swimming Canada has been closely monitoring the evolving global COVID-19 situation, consulting with team physicians and experts from partner organizations with participant and public safety as the foremost concern.<\/em><\/p>\n

Senior staff will continue to meet regularly and explore all potential adjustments, including postponing the Trials or cancelling the event and implementing an alternate Games qualification path. Swimming Canada will review all nomination\/selection criteria and will communicate an update to these documents once available.<\/em><\/p>\n

On or before April 21, the organization will make additional decisions regarding the status of Trials and remaining national events for 2020, including the Open Water Championships scheduled for April 25-26 on Grand Cayman.<\/em><\/p>\n

Swimming Canada has also instructed its provincial sections to cancel all sanctioned competitions from March 16 to April 20. Training and other activities may still be allowed under certain circumstances, in line with the guidelines of local health authorities. Clubs should take all appropriate steps to mitigate the risks associated with the spread of COVID-19.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Olympic and Paralympic Trials are our flagship national event of the four-year Games cycle. We recognize that this is a tremendously disappointing decision for swimmers and coaches who have been training and preparing for months and years to be at their best for these trials,\u201d said Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson. \u201cWhile it was a difficult decision, we have no doubt it is the correct one for the safety of our swimming community and the public at large. We thank our swimmers and coaches for their professionalism and adaptability, and will communicate more details as soon as possible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAs an athlete and as president, I understand that this is a difficult situation for everyone affected,\u201d added Olympic medallist Cheryl Gibson, Swimming Canada\u2019s president. \u201cSwimming Canada is committed to ensuring we make every possible effort to prepare the athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. That said, the safety of our participants is always our foremost concern, and we must make this difficult decision in the interest of safety.\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