Germany Cancels National C’ships Amid Coronavirus Spike

Last month, the German Swimming Federation (DSV) put out its competition calendar for the remainder of 2020, one which included hosting a national championship beginning on October 29th.

The meet would actually serve as the championships originally scheduled for the end of April 2020 which were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the DSV has just announced that the championships have ultimately been cancelled due to the latest coronavirus-related situation in Germany.

Thomas Kurschilgen, the DSV‘s competitive sports director stated, “During the coronavirus crisis, health protection was always the absolute focus of our considerations in the implementation of all sports activities in swimming. In view of the current developments with rapidly increasing numbers of infections across Germany, the associated uncertainties and the urgent appeals from the federal government, we feel compelled to cancel the DM2020.”

DSV Vice President Uwe Brinkmann also said, “We and our partners have to show solidarity in this exceptional situation and put our own interests behind for the good of swimming and the community. Nevertheless, we will continue to develop solutions with the necessary care and expertise in the coming months and work to ensure that swimming in all its forms can survive the crisis.”

Per The Washington Post, Germany recorded 4,516 new coronavirus cases Friday, October 9th. That remains significantly lower than the daily cases in other European countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Spain, but it represented a 60 percent increase in the past two days of that week alone.

To date, Germany has seen 360,000 coronavirus cases reported, resulting in 9,773 deaths.

In light of these numbers, DSV physician Prof. Dr. Alexander Beck communicated, “Due to medical care, it is not possible, despite the well-thought-out hygiene concept developed by the DSV, to hold the competitions in Berlin with an acceptable health risk for all participants.

“Nobody currently knows the possible long-term damage to health that a Covid 19 infection can have on the human body, especially among top athletes, for whom the highest level of performance in a world comparison is imperative.”

There is no word yet on the remaining meets on the schedule, which include Olympic-qualifying competitions at Essen and Würzburg (November 28-29) and Magdeburg (December 18-20).