FINA has given one extra year of eligibility to the junior swimmers whose last season would have been in 2020 — so athletes born in 2002. In 2021, the junior age group will thus be made of athletes from 15 to 19 years of age.
The 2021 Youth World Championships will be held at the same time as the postponed Junior World Championships. Both competitions are scheduled for August 21 – 29 in Quebec City, Canada. Good luck judges.
Another One Bites The Dust
Stanford University has announced it will cut 11 sports after the 2020-2021 collegiate season (if there is even one) due to financial hardships linked to the COVID-19 crisis, and that includes synchronized swimming. This is a huge blow not only to the current and future athletes, but also to the whole collegiate synchro community in the U.S., which has lost numerous programs already over the years. If you want to help and show support for the reinstatement of the program, make sure to sign the petition.
More Retirements News
Speaking of the U.S., Emmanuella Tchakmakjianannounced her departure from the senior team to attend Stanford team for the 2020-2021 instead of deferring for the Olympics.
Something is up in Israel, and I don’t just mean that just COVID-19 is back with a vengeance. Half of the 2019 worlds’ team has now left, after Elina Chalemsky joined the long list of recent retirees, following Yael Polka, Tali Ostrovsky, Gal Litman and Emily Green.
Margaux Chabirand from France is leaving the INSEP training center to pursue engineering studies in Lyon. Chabirand was a member of the junior national team from 2017 to 2019, and was part of the senior training squad since 2018.
Got Skills?
Can we get men into the Olympics already? Russia’s Aleksandr Maltsevposted a little improv’ in the pool, and we are all in awe.
Fellow Russian Varvara Subbotina also let her creativity flow.
Need Something to Watch?
Thursday, July 16 at 3:00 p.m. Central European: We are live streaming the awards of the “Corona Underwater” Online Competition, organized once again by Israel’s coach Svetlana Blecher. Clubs across all age groups sent in videos of themselves doing pattern changes in the water. Now, judges have deliberated, and will announce the winners on Thursday, where everybody will also get to see the videos.
Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. Central European: We are live streaming the first-ever online world workout by artistic swimmers with disabilities. Everybody is of course welcome to join.
