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The Netherlands, home of the Olympic marathon champions Ferry Weertman and Sharon van Rouwendaal and 2012 double Olympic sprint champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo, has joined the list of nations abandoning Olympic trials.
Weertman and Van Rouwendaal had already qualified for the Tokyo 2o20 Olympic Games and the defence of their titles, however, the Swim Cups in The Hague and Eindhoven, the last chance for pool swimmers to earn Olympic selection, have been cancelled. The meets would have been the last Olympic qualification events for Dutch swimmers aiming for the Tokyo 2020 Games but are now the latest causalities of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting containment measures.
The Dutch swimming community was informed late yesterday that Government measures to try to combat the spread of the virus included the closure of all pools and a ban on large gatherings, including sport competitions.
A source told Swimming World: “The meets are cancelled not postponed but this isn’t just a case of cancellation. Many swimmers cannot even go to the pool. Their training is over.”
The same picture can be found in Italy, Norway, Denmark and other parts of Europe, with trials and championships and cup events postponed or cancelled in Spain, Sweden and Belgium and decisions being taken that look set to see the European Championships, scheduled for May in Budapest to join the wipeout.
Budapest would have been another chance for Dutch swimmers to qualify for Tokyo 2020 but the more likely date is now the Dutch Championships scheduled for Rotterdam on June 19-21.
Australia, China, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil and Japan have all had major meets affected by the coronavirus pandemic, while in the United States, the NCAA Championships have been cancelled and USA Swimming has imposed a 30-day suspension on all events, while Canada is considering what to do about its Olympic trials early next month. In Italy, where swimmers are struggling to maintain normal routines, can’t get to practice and in some cases find pool time, a #stopolympics campaign was launched by the Nuoto website calling on solidarity among swimming nations to recognise that Olympic preparations have been blown off course and that it would be in the interests of fairness to postpone the Games for a time of calm beyond the coronavirus crisis.
Our coverage:
Extraordinary Events In Swimming History:
- European Aquatics Championships Swim Into Choppy Waters As Hungary Declares State Of Emergency & Locks Borders
- Japanese Olympic Trials To Be Held Without Spectators & With A Shortened Schedule
- The Soak – Swim Ireland Announces Postponement Of Olympic Trials Until End Of June
- European Aquatics Championships Swim Into Choppy Waters As Hungary Declares State Of Emergency & Locks Borders
- The Soak – Swim Ireland Announces Postponement Of Olympic Trials Until End Of June
- Swimming Australia Cancels Australian Championships And Age Nationals to Combat Coronaavirus
- Swimming Canada Evaluating Possible Contingency Plans for Olympic Trials
- Spanish Swimming Nationals And Olympic Trials Latest In Wave Of Coronavirus Cancellations
- NCAA Cancels Winter Championships, Including Swimming And Diving
- USA Swimming to Cancel All Events For 30 Days Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic
- France Cancels Junior Nationals On Extraordinary Day In Swim History Ahead of Crunch Decision On Olympic Trials
- Scandinavian Swimming Shutdown: Danish Open, Olympic Trials, Swim Open Stockholm Off; Pools Shut & Norway Bans All Sport Events In Coronavirus Lockdown
- FINA Confirms Postponement of the Men’s Olympic Water Polo Qualifier in Rotterdam
- FINA Cancels/ Postpones Swathe Of Aquatic Events Due To Coronavirus Pandemic, Some Decisions Pending
- Peaty, Anderson & Co Set For Edinburgh Against The Backdrop Of Coronavirus
- Italian Struggle To Find Swimming Pools To Train In Sparks #stopolympics Coronavirus Lockdown Campaign
- The Soak – WADA Warns Of Unintended Consequences As Rodchenkov Act On Whistleblowing Takes Step Closer To Becoming U.S. Law
- British Olympic Association & Athletes Reach Agreement Over IOC Rule
- WHO Set To Give ‘Basic Thoughts’ On Olympics & Coronavirus As Unrepentant Tokyo 2020 Board Member Sounds “Warning Bell”
- NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships Now Closed to Spectators
- COVID-19 Leads Argentina to Cancel South American Championships
- Ivy League To Cancel All Athletic Events Through Remainder Of Spring
- Coronavirus Causes China Olympic Swimming Trials Postponement
- Italy Cancels Olympic Swim Trials & Wave Of Other Aquatic Championships In Coronavirus Lockdown
Guidance on Water and Coronavirus
- Coronavirus And Swimmers: CDC Issues Guidance On Water Transmission & COVID-19
- 2008 Uni of Arizona Research Called For More Study Into Survival Of Coronavirus in Water [UPDATED March 11 – Link To CDC Guide]
