After a meeting of its executives on Friday, the French Federation (FFN) announced a series of measures intended to combat the propagation of COVID-19.
To begin with, all national competitions are immediately suspended until further notice. The French Elite National Championships, which were to have been held in Chartres from April 14-19, 2020, will be postponed until June 23-29. This date could change, though, depending on the “evolution of the epidemic” and on the dates of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The FFN will propose amended selection procedures for the Olympic Games to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) in the coming weeks.
The FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat in Marseille, scheduled for March 20-22, 2020, has now been cancelled.
The French Artistic Swimming Championships have been postponed to the fall.
All French Water Polo Championships matches have been suspended until further notice.
All swimming competitions at all levels (local, regional, national, and international) taking place anywhere in the French territories have been suspended, effective immediately and until further notice.
The FFN recommends that all member clubs suspend their activities and temporarily stop practices, training camps, and group activities. An exception is made for the clubs’ national groups for whom procedures may be considered, if they are determined in conjunction with local authorities.
The FFN Board of Directors meeting, which had been scheduled to take place during the FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat in Marseille, will now be a videoconference.
The FFN Annual Meeting, which had been planned for April 24 and 25, will take place at a later date to be determined in conjunction with the Normandy League where it was to have been held.
The activites of INFAN (Institut National de Formation) and ERFAN (Ecole Régionale de Formation des Activités de la Natation), which include training courses, seminars, certifications, etc., should take place via videoconference when possible. In-person group sessions should not exceed 5 people.
The activites planned for France’s “Night of Water” will be the subject of a joint communication with Unicef.
The FFN will provide weekly updates and keep everyone apprised about the evolution of the situation.
Finally, the FFN noted that it was conscious of the disruption that these provisions will create but believes that the members of its community will unite and contribute to the fullest extent in the national effort to best overcome this health crisis.