Swimming Canada announced today that it will not be sending a team to compete at the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, from June 26-July 7, 2022.
“The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact events around the world. Having considered the health and safety issues, and the requirements to attend this Games, we feel there is no alternative but to withdraw,” said Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson. “We have made our position known to U Sports and now Swimming Canada will focus on the junior and senior team activities scheduled for later in the year, including the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships and the Commonwealth Games.”
Swimming Canada also notes this week’s official confirmation from FINA regarding the postponement of the 2022 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, to July 2023.
“It is good to know for certain that the event is now scheduled for 2023. As we consider what that means for our Trials and selection policies, we are reviewing all possible scenarios. As we have more detail we will be making decisions and communicating them in due course,” Atkinson said.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic and other complications such as travel restrictions continue to affect the international competition calendar,” added Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi. “We will keep our focus on the events that are happening, and have full confidence our high performance team will prepare our swimmers to compete to the best of their ability as safely as possible. Our swimmers and coaches have shown so much resilience over the past two years, and we will continue to adapt to put them in the best position to succeed.”
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