The postponed Olympic Games are set to kick-off on July 23rd, which means we’re fewer than 130 days from the world’s biggest competitive sporting event.
We now enter the time frame in which many nations are hosting their one-shot Olympic Trials meets, including Japan, South Africa and Great Britain. Swimmers will be put to the test against not only their peers but also against the oftentimes stiff qualifying procedures established by their home nations in order to represent their flag in Tokyo.
Take a look at the lineup below and let me know in the comments of any meets I may have inadvertently missed.
03/31 – 04/03 Absolute Italian Championships (ITA)
04/01 – 04/04 Selectivo Nacional Bolivia (BOL)
04/02 – 04/04 Bulgarian Open Team Championships (BUL)
04/02 – 04/04 Estonian National Championships (EST)
04/03 – 04/04 OPEN Belgian Qualification Meet (BEL)
04/03 – 04/04 Qualifikationswettkampf (GER)
04/03 – 04/06 35th CARIFTA Swimming Championships (BAR)
04/03 – 04/09 Russian National Swimming Championships (RUS)
04/03 – 04/10 Japan National Swimming Championships (JPN)
04/05 – 04/10 Egypt Senior National Championships (EGY)
04/05 – 04/12 Australian Age Group Championships (AUS)
04/05 – 04/10 New Zealand National Swimming Championships (NZL)
04/07 – 04/10 South Africa National Championships (RSA)
04/07 – 04/11 Swiss National Championships (SUI)
04/08 – 04/11 Eindhoven Qualification Meet (NED)
04/08 – 04/11 Swim Open Stockholm (SWE)
04/08 – 04/11 Pro Swim Series – Mission Viejo (USA)
04/09 – 04/11 High-Performance Test Event (CAN)
04/09 – 04/11 Qualifikationswettkampf Magdeburg (GER)
04/09 – 04/11 Icelandic National Championships (ISL)
04/10 – 04/11 64th Festival of Sport – Long Course Swimming Time Trial (HKG)
04/10 – 04/11 Grand Prix (POL)
04/10 – 04/11 11th April Grand Prix (SRB)
04/11 – 04/14 Israel National Summer Trial and Championship (ISR)
04/12 – 04/17 Uzbekistan Open Summer Swimming Championships (UZB)
04/13 – 04/18 British National Swimming Championships (GBR)
04/14 – 04/18 Australian Swimming Championships (AUS)
04/16 – 04/18 German Trials (GER)
04/16 – 04/18 VI Dominican Republic International Swim Open (DOM)
04/17 – 04/18 NRW-Meisterschaften (GER)
04/17 – 04/21 Danish Open (DEN)
04/19 – 04/24 Brazilian Olympic Trials (BRA)
04/20 – 04/24 Irish Open Championships (IRL)
04/20 – 04/25 French Junior National Championships (FRA)
04/21 – 04/24 Campeonato Nacional 1ra Etapa (PAR)
04/21 – 04/25 Open Championships of the Republic of Belarus (BLR)
04/22 – 04/23 Helsinki Swim Meet (FIN)
04/22 – 04/25 International Turkcell Open (TUR)
04/23 – 04/25 ATUS Ströck Meeting (AUT)
04/23 – 04/25 16th International Pardubice Grand Prix (CZE)
04/28 – 05/02 Polish National Championships (POL)
04/29 – 05/02 2021 UANA Qualifier For Tokyo (USA)
04/30 – 05/01 Latvian Youth and Junior Championships (LAT)
With COVID-19 international travel restrictions and most meets being capped or restricted to citizens only, if you’re a swimmer not living in the country of your citizenship, it’s a serious struggle to find a spot in a FINA approved meet for your “trials” meet. Thank goodness for meets like PSS and UANA for US based athletes. I wonder how many swimmers are losing out due to this?
Poland leaked out a little secret that should help: it appears as though FINA, as part of requests to proclaim more meets as “Olympic qualifiers,” has incentivized countries by allowing them more qualifying meets if those meets are open to foreign swimmers.
So, that’s a big part of why PSS meets were able to get approved.
Australian Swimming Championships – Gold Coast – April 14-18
(not to be confused with Olympic Trials In June)
I just noticed the start lists are up on the website for for both the age and open championships. Kaylee is entered in 200 IM and not 200 BK (both same session).
What about the TYR meet in Mission Viejo April 8th thru the 11? Has that meet been canceled?
If you visit USA Swimming at https://www.usaswimming.org/event/2021/04/08/default-calendar/tyr-pro-swim-series-mission-viejo, there is a countdown in progress, so it sure looks like the meet is going forward.
It feels like we’ve been waiting a lifetime, but trials season is finally upon us and I can’t wait!
I’m tired just looking at it. Going to be fun though!
Please when you can add the VI Dominican Republic International Swim Open in Santo Domingo, April 16-18. It’s an Olympic qualification event. Thanks
Got it, thank you!