British Swimming would like to provide the following update as preparations continue for April’s British Swimming Championships at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield.
Due to the significant recent increase in COVID cases, our current planning for the 2022 British Swimming Championships (5th-10th April) includes scenario planning for a downsized event with appropriate COVID mitigation plans should it be needed, to ensure the safety of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators.
Other British Swimming events scheduled for February are currently being planned with bespoke COVID mitigation plans and specific arrangements in place.
Although we very much hope we are in a position to run a large-scale and inclusive British Swimming Championships as intended for 2022, we are keen to ensure that the swimming community is aware at this stage that a scaled-down event, in terms of athlete numbers, is a possibility.
It is understood that many clubs and individuals will have already begun to make travel and accommodation arrangements for the Championships, and we would urge where possible to consider making cancellable bookings. We hope to be able to be more definitive about the size of the event and expected participant numbers at the end of January.