On the heels of the Swim Open Stockholm and Danish Open both having been reported as cancelled due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide outbreak, additional international meets are also being eliminated by the hour.
Lithuania:
The Lithuanian Swimming Federation announced that its Open Championships, originally scheduled for March 19th – March 21st at Kauna Girstutis Pool, are being labeled as ‘postponed’. The championships served as the nation’s premier Olympic-qualifying meet.
Below is official announcement:
On March 19-21, the Lithuanian Open Swimming Championship will not take place in Kaunas Girstutis Pool.
With the continuing emergency in Lithuania due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the outbreak of the virus by the World Health Organization as a pandemic, the Lithuanian government on Thursday decided that from March 13 onwards. until March 27 all events, whether open or closed, will be prohibited in the country, with some exceptions.
In order not to risk the health of the participants, their relatives, spectators and staff, the Lithuanian Swimming Federation decided to postpone the national championship. The next race date will be decided later as new Government recommendations become available.
We remind you that the Lithuanian Junior-Junior Swimming Championship, which was to take place in Alytus on March 13-14, will not be held.
You are welcome to follow the information on the Federation website.
At the time of publishing, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center confirms 3 cases have been reported (0 deaths) within Lithuania.
The Netherlands:
The Swim Cup – The Hague was originally slated for April 3rd – April 5th and The Swim Cup – Eindhoven was originally scheduled for April 9th – April 12th. Both have also been canceled by the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB). These were two of several Olympic-qualifiers for Dutch swimmers.
Below is the official KNZB announcement:
The international swimming federations FINA and LEN have decided to cancel the international swimming sport events because of the developments surrounding the coronavirus. As a result of the developments, the KNZB has also decided not to continue the international Swim Cup in The Hague in April.
The Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OKT) of the water polo men would be held in Rotterdam from 22 to 29 March, followed by the Swim Cup in The Hague (3 to 5 April) and the Olympic and Paralympic qualifying swimming tournament in Eindhoven (9 until April 12). A number of World League water polo games were also on the agenda in March and April.
The OKT water polo men is now held from 31 May to 7 June in Zwemcentrum Rotterdam. During this tournament, three more tickets can be distributed for participation in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“We understand and respect FINA’s decision to cancel international matches until further notice,” said Aschwin Lankwarden, KNZB General Manager. “The cancellation of the Olympic qualifying tournaments water polo men and swimming and the other competitions in our country is a setback for all parties involved, but safety is paramount. We are in daily contact with managers from our international federation. Fortunately, we have already been able to plan a new date for the OKT water polo in consultation with FINA. We will of course continue to follow the international developments regarding the coronavirus and the national guidelines from RIVM. Information is also continuously exchanged with NOC * NSF. ”
Earlier, the OKT of the water polo women was moved from March 8-15, to May 17-24. That tournament was originally supposed to be played in Trieste, Italy. FINA will announce where this tournament will take place in mid-April.
André Cats, technical director KNZB: “The swimming federation’s qualification procedures are being hit hard by the measures relating to the coronavirus. In our plans, many qualifying attempts would take place in March and April. Now that is not the case and we will shortly come up with new proposals to our athletes, NOC * NSF and FINA who support the preparations for successful participation in Tokyo as much as possible. It is annoying for our athletes and coaches, but they also fully understand this drastic measure. They actually receive extra training in dealing with setbacks and always keep their focus on the goal. ”
At the time of publishing, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 503 COVID-19 cases (5 deaths) within the Netherlands.
Swim Cup Eindhoven canceled as well.