Due to stringent coronavirus restrictions in Canada, Swimming Canada has had to shift plans on multiple occasions over the last 21 months. The Olympic Trials got postponed twice, and now with the development of the Omicron variant, things remain up in the air regarding what restrictions could be put in place as the organization plans for the future.
Canada currently has an average of about 3,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. Swimming Canada is set to send a team to the Short Course World Championships later this month in Abu Dhabi, which has only reported a seven-day average of 56 new cases per day.
Courtesy: Swimming Canada
Swimming Canada recognizes the recent developments of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Swimming Canada has a team selected to attend the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Abu Dhabi later this month (Dec. 16-21). In addition, an open water team is set to attend the FINA Word Series event that will also be held in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 15-16.
FINA President Husain Al Musallam has assured member nations that onsite COVID-19 protocols are already established and will be further adapted if necessary, and that it remains fully committed to the events.
“It is great to have these teams selected for the world short-course championships and the Open Water World Series,” said High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson.
“We may once again face the potential of challenges around international travel as governments around the world learn more about the potential impacts. We will continue to review all of our plans and activities, taking into consideration all the relevant medical advice and travel restrictions.”
Swimming Canada continues to monitor developing issues regarding the global COVID-19 pandemic, while continuing to plan for 2022.
For the Olympic Program, the coming year includes the long course FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, FINA World Junior Championships in Kazan, Russia, and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Selection/nomination criteria are either completed or in the final stages of production. All relevant documents can be found at the following links:
In the Paralympic Program, the selection criteria for the World Para Swimming Championships in Funchal, Portugal, and the Commonwealth Games can be found here.
The 2022 Canadian Swimming Trials to select those teams are planned for April 5-10 in Victoria, B.C.
“Plans are in place, and we will continue to adapt as necessary,” Atkinson said. “As we approach the end of 2021 we see that clubs, programs and athletes have been able to return to swimming training. We know this has not been without challenges and we also know many clubs are not yet at full training capacity, however, there has been a big step forward in comparison to the same time last year.”