COVID-19: FINA pushes world short-course meet back a year

The championships will now be staged in December, 2021, in the UAE.

In this picture taken on July 24, 2019, Hali Flickinger swims in the women’s 200m butterfly semifinal at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The world championships and the Olympics are staged in a 50-metre pool, while the short-course championships, which have now been postponed, are held in a 25-metre pool.

The governing body of swimming has postponed the short course world championships for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

FINA says the championships scheduled for December in Abu Dhabi will now be staged from December 13-18, 2021, in the United Arab Emirates because of “the uncertainty related with the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.”

‘Suitable solution’

FINA president Julio C. Maglione says swimming organisers have worked closely with the United Arab Emirates’ authorities and “we believe this is the most suitable solution for all those taking part in this competition.”

A general congress to elect the FINA Bureau for the years 2021-25 will be staged in Doha, Qatar, on June 5, 2021. The new members of the bureau will start their terms immediately after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The short course world championships are held in a 25-metre pool. The FINA world championships and the Olympics are staged in 50-metre pools.