Given how slow this season has been due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not surprising (pandemic pending) that next year’s global schedule is packed with competitions. How will next season be organized by athletes and coaches in regards to taper and build-up phases? Those are questions that must be answered, and tough decisions might be required.
For starters, here is what the 2021 schedule looks like:
European Championship (LCM) – 10th-23rd May 2021, Budapest, Hungary
Olympic Games – 23rd July- 8th August 2021, Tokyo, Japan
World Cups – September and October 2021
European Championship (SCM) – 2nd-7th November 2021, Kazan, RUSSIA
World Championship (SCM) – 13th-18th December 2021, Abu Dhabi, UAE
ISL – In 2020-2021, there was a plan for a longer season with more stops. The season was scheduled for September to April (with a break in March and December for the World Championships in short course). Additionally, two new teams were scheduled to compete, a Japanese squad led by swimming legend Kosuke Kitajima, and a Canadian club, led by Robert Kent, founder of the Global Swim Series. The schedule is currently uncertain, although new participant names are starting to leak.
Swimming is not a sport where it is beneficial to have multiple high-level competitions close to each other. Because swimmers peak just twice per year, the athletes will be forced to choose where they want to place their emphasis. The priority, obviously, will be Tokyo 2021, and swimmers from countries with depth will have to first get through their national trials.
The debate is open on how preparation will work and what sacrifices willl be made. Swimmers usually have an idea of how their seasons will go and where they will race, but decisions can be influenced by their national federations and outside forces, such as COVID-19. The main questions are: Who will benefit from this? How can one take advantage of this? Will swimmers be in shape for multiple events? How will taper work with so many high-level competitions?
This time is uncertain for swimmers as we enter a new season and a big year. Every day of every swimmer’s life is punctuated by 24 hours, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. Time can be considered a necessity to know everything, and to be able to control events in order to plan every single day, practice and gym session that is part of a goal.
We are living in an eternal present where swimmers must know how to adapt to unusual conditions, even the most unexpected ones. I believe you are moving on, fighting on, and I wish you the best of luck in the times ahead. Embrace the craziness of these days and take advantage of it.