A new report has revealed that 10% of swimming pools in Ireland have permanently closed in recent months, as well as detailing the financial losses Swim Ireland have suffered.
The CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Mary O’Connor, explained to an Oireachtas committee that Sports Organisations and National Governing Bodies, like Swim Ireland, have lost up to 70% of self-generated revenue due to the pandemic.
Specifically, Swim Ireland has incurred losses across every sector in the sport; income from swimming lessons is down 79% and a 65% decrease has been recorded in the income generated by leisure centres in March-August.
Changes to Competition Plan
The sport continues to suffer as today Swim Ireland have released an updated competition plan for the remainder of this year, a plan which has had to change due to new restrictions coming into force across the country yesterday.
The Republic of Ireland and parts of Northern Ireland have moved back into Level 3 restrictions, meaning that the previous schedule cannot run ahead as planned.
The current restrictions are in place (definitively) for 3 weeks, which means that the planned virtual meets for October can no longer take place. The updated plan is as follows:
October
- Club-based time trials for all Republic of Ireland counties.
- Virtual meets (Development & Qualifying Meets combined) to take place as planned in Northern Irish counties with no additional restrictions.
- No possibilities as of yet for counties in Northern Ireland with additional restrictions – Swim Ireland and Swim Ulster looking at options
- *Time trials will act as qualifying opportunities for the National SC Qualifying meets in November
November
- Actual regional meets to be hosted in each province for athletes -> Senior National SC Qualifying Meets for athletes aged 16 and over
- Actual regional meets to be hosted in each province for athletes
- *These meets have been reformatted to be heat declared winners
December
- National Winter Championships to be held in Dublin
You can read the full document here.