Swimming Canada has given warning that its Olympic Trials may have to be postponed as part of containment measures being enforced in the country, in common with many others, due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
No decision has yet been taken but Swimming Canada stated:
In light of the evolving global situation with the COVID-19 virus, Swimming Canada has been evaluating the feasibility of running the Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials as planned March 30 – April 5 in Toronto.
As always, participant safety is of paramount importance. Swimming Canada has been closely monitoring the situation, consulting with team physicians and experts from partner organizations. We recognize that other measures such as suspending scheduled events, or running events without spectators, have been implemented in other jurisdictions.
We also recognize that swimmers and coaches have been working hard for months and years in preparation to be at their best at this exact time period to qualify for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Therefore, Swimming Canada’s senior staff are meeting regularly and exploring all potential adjustments to the Games qualification path that may be necessary to put the safety of our athletes, staff, contractors, volunteers and spectators at the forefront. This may include significant adjustments such as postponing the event to a later date.
Swimming Canada will respect the Government of Canada guidelines, and relevant provincial and/or municipal guidelines, with regard to any measures that may be implemented. As we await further guidance from our government partners, we expect to be in a position to update or revise our planning in the coming days as necessary. Until that time, we do not recommend making speculative changes to travel plans, etc.
In the event that Trials tickets purchased through Ticketmaster cannot be used as expected, Swimming Canada will work to issue refunds and/or replacement tickets as appropriate. The organization is also reviewing all other sanctioned meets for 2020, including the Eastern and Western Championships, Open Water Championships, and Masters Championships.
Swimming Canada encourages all provincial and local swimming organizations to follow the directions of their local health authorities regarding the hosting of events, and to take all appropriate steps to mitigate the risks associated with the spread of COVID-19.
The Australian cancellations were among many in the past 24-36 hours in the world of swimming, the Spanish nationals and Olympic trials called off, the Danish Open and Olympic Trials, the Swim Open, Stockholm, the French Junior nationals all cancelled, as were the NCAA Championships; a 30-day suspension of events by USA Swimming; a Norwegian lockdown that cancelled sport; FINA postponements; Canada considering what to do about its Olympic trials; and cancellations and a plea from Italy to halt the Olympic Games to avoid Tokyo 2020 going ahead in July when many of the world’s best swimmers may no longer be in the kind of shape they would have been but for the pandemic and its knock-on effects.
An Extraordinary Day In Swimming History:
- 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
And that followed this:
- COVID-19 Leads Argentina to Cancel South American Championships
- Ivy League To Cancel All Athletic Events Through Remainder Of Spring
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]
— The press release in the report above was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Swimming Canada. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.
Having trials on dates planned even without spectators is still a bad idea. Parents and swimmers will travel from all parts of the country staying at hotels and public places putting people at risk. Many professional sports have suspended games and practices. It’s possible the pools in which the athletes train could close due to the virus between now and trials which could certainly interrupt athletes training.
At this point we don’t even know if Tokyo 2020 is a go.
Hope the correct decision is made and soon,