USA Swimming To Send Athletes To 2023 LEN European U23 Championships In Dublin

USA Swimming announced Monday that it will send athletes to the inaugural LEN European U23 Championships this summer in Dublin.

The competition, first announced in December, will take place August 10-13, 2023, featuring athletes aged 19-23 (as of Dec. 31, 2023).

The championships serve the purpose of providing those on the cusp of making their country’s senior national ‘A’ team an international taper meet in the summer.

This competition will essentially serve as a replacement for some of the athletes that would’ve gone to the World University Games this summer, as USA Swimming announced it wouldn’t send a team to this year’s event in Chengdu, China back in January.

“International competition experience is vital to a developing swimmer’s progression,” USA Swimming National Team Managing Director Lindsay Mintenko said. “This meet fits really well in the quad as we prepare for Paris. We’re appreciative of the opportunity to compete at the inaugural U23 Championships.”

In early March, LEN announced that the championships would be open to athletes from non-European countries, separated by continent. Two teams from the PanAM continental association—one from North and one from South America—will be eligible to compete, along with one from Oceania, one from the Asia Swimming Federation (AASF), and one from the African Swimming Federation (CANA).

With USA Swimming declaring its intention to send swimmers to the meet, the American athletes would presumably team up with other athletes from North America, depending on which nations opt to send swimmers (it’s also possible the team will be exclusively Americans).

“(U.S. swimmers competing) is very important because this helps to validate the competition, by bringing one of the most powerful swimming teams in the world to Dublin,” LEN President Antonio Silva said. “This is the first edition of an innovative competition with different events and dynamics so I think it’s very good for aquatics, U23 swimmers, for the hosts in Dublin.”

Swimmers will qualify for the event at the National Championships in Indianapolis, which take place June 27-July 1 and serve as the qualifier for the World Championships. Presumably, eligible athletes who miss the Worlds team will qualify for Dublin.

The meet will feature a “semi-non-traditional” format related to its presentation, including some ISL-like elements.

The Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, one of the world’s largest indoor aquatic centers, will host the event. It includes a 10-lane, 50-meter competition pool, a 25-meter diving and warmup pool, and seating for 2,500 spectators.