July
Can Ams cancelled as Para-swimming program evolves
Swimming Canada and U.S.
Paralympics Swimming have cancelled the upcoming Can Am Para-swimming
Championships in light of the rescheduling of the World Para Swimming
Championships.
The Can Ams were originally set for July 12-14 in Vancouver, just before the
previously scheduled world championships. Malaysia was stripped of the world
championships hosting rights after the Malaysian government failed to provide
the International Paralympic Committee with the necessary guarantees that
Israeli Para-swimmers could participate safely and free from discrimination.
World Para Swimming announced last week that London would host, with the dates
pushed back to Sept. 9-15.
“With the worlds being stripped from Malaysia, moved to London, and rescheduled
for September, the July Can Ams were no longer a fit for our athletes’ training
schedules,” said Wayne Lomas, Swimming Canada’s Associate High Performance
Director. “This significant change in the international calendar necessitated a
change in our domestic programming for Team Canada and our partners with U.S.
Paralympics.”
Canada’s teams for worlds, as well as the Parapan Am Games set for Aug.
23-Sept. 1 in Lima, Peru, will now target the Canadian Swimming Championships
as a tune-up opportunity. That fully integrated championship meet is set for
Aug. 8-11 in Winnipeg.
“Having a major domestic championships meet in close proximity to both the
Parapan Ams and world championships means that all 31 of Canada’s swimmers who
will represent us this summer will compete at the last meet of the domestic
year, offering swimmers and their coaches an important practice run before the
major events,” Lomas said.
Swimming Canada will continue to evaluate the role of the Can Ams, a series of
meets for Para-swimmers hosted in partnership with U.S. Paralympics Swimming.
These meets have provided high-level competition opportunities for Canadian and
American Para-swimmers, and attracted other international competitors. One of
the Can Am meets formerly served as the main selection meet for that year’s
major international competition, but Swimming Canada replaced this function in
2016 with full integrated Trials for its Olympic and Paralympic program teams.
