USA Swimming announced its schedule for the 2021 and 2022 National Championships, including National Junior Championships, Open Water Nationals, Future, the Pro Swim Series, and the International Team Trials, which will select swimmers for the postponed 2022 FINA World Championships and the 2022 FINA World Junior Championships. Notably, USA Swimming will choose the swimmers that will represent it at major international meets in April of 2022.
While the International Team Trials competition is usually the same thing as Summer Nationals, the postponement of the 2021 FINA World Championships to 2022 forced a change in the schedule. Summer Nationals, which typically takes place in June or July when international teams are being selected for, will take place in April of 2022. At this meet, swimmers will vie for for the opportunity to compete at the 2022 FINA World Championships (Fukuoka, Japan), the 2022 FINA World Junior Championships (Kazan, Russia), and the 2022 World University Games (Chengdu, China).
The International Team Trials is taking place April 26-30, just weeks before the 2022 FINA World Championships begin on May 13. In terms of the timing of the selection meet and the World Championships, the gap between U.S. Trials and Worlds is about normal.
The 2022 Australia Swimming Championship will be in early April and likely double as the Dolphins’ selection meet for Worlds. The 2022 Canadian Swimming Trials will also take place at the beginning of April. The fact that Worlds is in the spring is not necessarily without precedent either. For instance, the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, took place in March of that year.
The US has to contend with the NCAA season as well – with much of its team still committed to race for their collegiate teams until March, this could leave a big taper-crunch between February conference meets, March NCAA Championship meets, an April trials, and May Worlds.
International Team Trials will be held April 26-30 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC. Greensboro will also host the 2021 U.S. Open December 1-4, as well as the 2021 East Winter Junior Championships December 8-11.
The 2021-2022 schedule includes 22 competitions in all, including the 18 & Under Cup, which premiered in 2021 with competitions in four different sites, held simultaneously. The meet will hold to the same format in 2022, though the sites have not yet been determined.
Glad to see WJRs and WUGs happening. I feel like we left of a lot of talent home this summer, and extra International meets gives more people the chance to race
Would FINA extend the eligibility for World Juniors?
Will NBC impose another morning finals given its in Japan again ?
Better not. It would be really nice if Oceania could watch finals at night after work. Notice NBC didn’t ask for nighttime finals for the Paralympics.
Yes because paralympics isn’t as expensive a product and doesn’t rate near as well?
They don’t care what time the ISL is on either.
There were evening finals as normal for the 2019 WC in South Korea….. so I would say NBC only request these changes for an Olympics in the Far East.
Neither did they in Fukuoka 2001, Melbourne 2007, Shanghai in 2011 and Gwangju in 2019.
What about pan pacs and junior pan pacs? Are those happening in 2022?
Pan Pacs are not. No announcement on Jr Pan Pacs.
We’re going to see NCAA swimmers rest in Feb/Mar/Apr/May?
When USA Trials were in April, lots of people redshirted.
How do you qualify for WUG’s?
Step 1) Swim at this meet in April
Step 2) ??????
Step 3) qualify for WUGs
(Exact qualifying procedures haven’t been announced yet, but it will be some version of being the fastest eligible swimmer in April. Details about whether that’s prelims or finals or just finals and if they’ll choose 50 events too or not all remains to be seen).
I think the 1991 & 1998 World Championships in Australia took place in January of each of those years.