USA Swimming cancels meet, reviews plans with worlds delayed

USA Swimming cancelled a meet in Iowa and is reviewing its calendar for the rest of 2022 after the world championships were pushed back another year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

USA Swimming cancelled a meet in Iowa and is reviewing its calendar for the rest of 2022.(Representative Image)

USA Swimming cancelled a meet in Iowa and is reviewing its calendar for the rest of 2022 after the world championships were pushed back another year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TYR Pro Swim Series Des Moines, set for March 2-5 at the MidAmerican Energy Aquatic Center at the Wellmark YMCA, was to be a qualifying meet for the Phillips 66 International Team Trials in April.

But the decision by world governing body FINA to delay the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, for a second time has thrown the U.S. plans into turmoil.

 

The worlds were initially set for 2021, then pushed back to this May after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed a year. With the pandemic still raging, the championships are now set for July 14-30, 2023.

While that means three huge events in a one-year period — two world championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics — the powerhouse American team now has a huge gap in its schedule this year.

USA Swimming is “reviewing its domestic calendar to ensure it provides the best competitive opportunities at the most impactful times,” the organization said Friday in a statement.

A revised schedule will be released in the coming weeks.