Earlier this month, the governing body for aquatic sports in Europe known as Ligue Européenne de Natation, or LEN, met in Copenhagen, Denmark at the conclusion of the European Short Course Championships. The Bureau made several key decisions there, including where to host the 2018 LEN Bureau meetings.
Those two meetings will take place in Amsterdam in March, and Valletta, Malta in October. Budapest will host the 2018 LEN Congress.
Among the other key decisions and discussions from the meeting:
- Preparations from the 2018 European Championships, the premier meet of the year for most of the country’s federations, are “well underway,” and “all deadlines have been met so far by organisers.” That event will be part of a massive multi-sport showcase that will include gymnastics, cycling, rowing, triathlon, and golf. “LEN is one of the leading forces in this great project and we are really looking forward to make this event a huge success and build the brand of this multi-sport event in future,” President Paolo Barelli said.
- LEN discussed the possibility of extending the European Junior Swimming Championships schedule from 5 days to 6 days beginning in 2021.
- LEN will be creating “European Cups” in all disciplines. That includes the newly-created Europa Cup for water polo, the continuation of the European Open Water Cup, and consideration of circuits in other disciplines as well.
- The LEN Bureau agreed to expand the Athletes’ Commission, led by 2004 Olympic 200 free champion Camelia Potec of Romania. That commission was established in October of 2016 and is designed to give athletes a bigger voice in governance of the sport.
- A meeting is scheduled in January for major LEN water polo members to review the next four years’ competition calendar. That meeting will include discussion of the newly-formed Europa Cup and possible rules changes.
- Discussions were begun to host the first European High Diving Championships in 2020.
- The Bureau “strongly supported” the Medical Committee’s plan to “implement a robust anti-doping programme in the upcoming years.”
- LEN has launched a new learn-to-swim program called Get Europe Swimming Safely.
- The Bureau agreed to set up a Facilities Commission and a High Diving Committee.
Do anyone know which company they are going to use that are responsible for the timing, ex omega timing or micro plus timing.
Will be great Swimming Champs for several reasons
1) The right timing and the right place: a non-Olympic year, with also the Commonwealth Games very early in the season. So even the strong British team, also because of the place of the event, Glasgow, will be swimming in full force.
2) An intriguing “swimming timing”: Great European swimmers still in action (Sjostrom, Hosszu, Peaty, Guy, Belmonte, Pellegrini, Kromowidjojo and so on) besides the most interesting youngsters who I can remind perhaps ever: Milak and Kolesnikov, first of all, but also others. And, in the middle, athlete still very young ready to win their first European titles (Scott, Chupkov, Rapsys, Koehler, Quadarella, Bonnet, Kenderesi and so on)
3) A great sports… Read more »
Hopefully France can grab at least one gold medal at these European championships next summer. Good luck Charlotte.