Swim Ireland updates Olympic nomination policy for the Tokyo Games

After a year of Covid-19 upheaval, Swim Ireland has updated its Olympic nomination policy for this year's games in Tokyo, now scheduled for July 23 to August 8.

The updated policy now gives additional opportunities to athletes to meet the qualification standards.

The changes provide for swimmers who have already achieved an Olympic qualification time to be pre-selected and for those that do not meet the qualification time at the Irish Olympic Trials in April (20 to 24) to qualify at a nominated meet in June.

Both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FINA (the world governing body for swimming) require athletes to achieve an Olympic qualification time (FINA ‘A’ time) within a designated period from March 2019 and from pre-named ratified competitions for them to be assured of an entry into the respective individual event at the games.

Darragh Greene and Shane Ryan can now both be considered for the games as the two Irish swimmers to post performances under the FINA ‘A’ time in their respective events in the designated period thus far.

Greene achieved times in the 100m breaststroke at the FINA World Championships in 2019 and 200m breaststroke at the Irish Open Championships in 2019, whilst Rio 2016 Olympian Ryan also attained a time at the 2019 Open in the 100m backstroke.

National Squad members Nicholas Quinn, a Rio Olympian in 2016, and Cillian Melly, both from Castlebar, would be hopeful of meeting the qualification time for the Tokyo Games.

The Covid pandemic has clearly affected all sections of society and despite the support and understanding Swim Ireland have received from Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland during these times, it continues to face some significant challenges in the preparation of athletes.

Revisions to swimming training environments, the ongoing challenge facing domestic and international competition between now and the games and athlete/staff welfare and wellbeing are very much at the heart of the changes, felt to be both appropriate and necessary.

National performance director Jon Rudd said: “This revised policy is a Covid-specific move away from that which has become our regular and recognised selection process for a summer senior international benchmark meet because of these exceptional times. It aims to provide athletes with the fairest possible opportunity to be nominated to the OFI for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“We spent a great deal of time looking at that which we truly believe in for international success (individual event selection via a sole trials) to that which has become necessary because of the unprecedented circumstances that we have faced over the last 10 months – circumstances that are still with us and will remain so for some months to come.

“We believe that the breadth and balance that the four-stage nomination process gives us satisfies our performance need whilst being underpinned by a process which is ethically sound in terms of athlete opportunity.”

National senior team head coach Ben Higson added: “With the uncertainty that has surrounded and continues to surround us regarding Covid-19, it has been it has been imperative that we respond and not react to the situation we find ourselves in.

“The new four-stage approach provides fairness in opportunity and will hopefully ensure as many of our athletes as possible can be on the plane to Tokyo. Athletes and coaches have worked tirelessly throughout the past four years and deserve to have the best possible opportunity to qualify.”

The next opportunity for athletes to qualify for the games will be the Irish Open Championships (Olympic and Paralympic trials).

The four stages are as follows:

- Stage 1: Swim Ireland will nominate to the OFI those athletes who have already achieved a FINA 'A' qualification standard in an individual event in the designated period approved by FINA up to the end of 2020

- Stage 2: Swim Ireland will nominate additional athletes to the team from those who achieve a FINA 'A' time in individual events at the 2021 Irish Open Championships (April 20 to 24) in Dublin, subject to the places remaining in individual events following Stage 1

- Stage 3: Swim Ireland will attempt to qualify one or more relays to the games via the 2021 LEN European Championships (50m) in Budapest (May 17 to 23) and select such relay members to the team following this competition

- Stage 4: Swim Ireland will nominate additional athletes to the team from those who achieve a FINA 'A' time in individual events at one additional nominated meet in June 2021, subject to the places remaining in individual events following Stages 1 and 2