Canadian Olympic swim trials postponed because of concerns over COVID-19

TORONTO — The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic swimming trials have been postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

Swimming Canada announced the postponement Friday, following an order from the Ontario provincial government to restrict gatherings of more than 250 people.

The trials were scheduled to take place from March 30 to April 5 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

“With 3,000 to 5,000 people expected to attend daily, our Olympic and Paralympic trials would grossly exceed the recommendations from Ontario’s chief medical officer,” Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi said in a release. “We also recognize that other provinces and cities are restricting access to pools and some athletes will not be able to train and prepare properly.

“For these reasons, among others, the trials will not run as scheduled.”

El-Awadi said tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be refunded.

Swimming Canada also said the 2020 Eastern and Western Championships in Windsor, Ont., and Saskatoon, originally scheduled for April 16-19, will be cancelled.

Decisions regarding the status of the Olympic trials and remaining national events for 2020, including the Open Water Championships scheduled for April 25-26 on Grand Cayman, will be made by April 21.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2020.

The Canadian Press