Back in February, we reported how the opportunity to represent the United States at this year’s World University Games had been opened up to collegiate swimming programs following USA Swimming’s announcement that it would not be sending a team to Chengdu, China.
USA Team, an organization overseen by the United States International University Sports Federation (US-IUSF), has told SwimSwam that it has found athletes to represent the U.S. at WUGs this year. A group of coaches from the Big Ten have assembled a roster of athletes to compete, though the swimmers have yet to be announced.
That same opportunity to represent the U.S. on the international stage remains open for the 2022 FISU America Games.
The FISU America Games, which generally run in alternate years to the World University Games (they’re coinciding this year after WUGs was postponed from 2021), are a regional multi-sport event similar to the Pan American Games, featuring university-aged athletes from North and South America.
This year’s edition will take place in Merida, Mexico from October 14-26, with swimming slated to be one of 15 sports to be contested.
USA Team recognizes that the timeframe of the FISU Americas competition is not optimal for student-athletes, but says that could provide the opportunity for others to represent their country internationally.
“Obviously, the schedule of the FISU Americas is challenging given colleges’ academic calendars and in-season schedules,” USA Team says. “But the unusual timing also provides us the opportunity to cast a wider net in searching for swimming teams that usually are not given the opportunity to participate in such events. In addition, this event may be ideal for any of the graduates/pro workout group swimmers who are using a university’s pool.”
The deadline for USA Team to field a team to the event will be in early July.
The eligibility requirements for the competitions are as follows:
- Be a United States citizen.
- Have been born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2004.
- Have graduated anytime in the calendar year 2021, or have taken at least one 3-credit course towards a degree or diploma within the last year before the Games. Incoming freshmen and transfers are usually eligible. [For the World University Games in China, those who graduated anytime in 2020 also would meet this criterion.]
If interested, teams can contact Nels Hawkinson or David Knopp at USA Team.
