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SYDNEY, Aug.16 (Reuters) – Swimming Australia has canceled this year’s national short course championships and decided not to send a team to the world championships in Abu Dhabi later this year, the governing body said on Monday .
The announcement of the dropping of the September national championships in Melbourne came as Australia battles a third wave of COVID-19, leading to the closure of major cities and state borders. Read more
“With the borders being so unstable and regular blockages still occurring, we believe this is the right decision,” Swimming Australia Managing Director Alex Baumann said in a statement.
Australian swimmers enjoyed huge success at the Tokyo Olympics, winning nine gold medals and a total of 21 medals in the pool, but the country’s strict quarantine rules mean many athletes are still not at home .
Baumann said the restrictions would make it difficult to build an official Australian squad to compete in the World Short Course in Abu Dhabi from December 15-20.
“With the quarantine requirements following the competition dropping over the Christmas and New Years period and many of our athletes have just undertaken more than 10 weeks away from home, we estimated that sending a team to the event was not viable, ”he added. “For those athletes who still wish to participate and meet the selection criteria, we will provide a level of support to help them travel and stay for the competition. “
Swimming Australia said a maximum of 20 swimmers will be nominated for the biennial championships, where races take place in a 25-meter pool.
Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Karishma Singh
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