British Swimming 2019 European Short Course Championships Selection Policy
British Swimming has released its selection criteria for the 2019 European Short Course Championships. The meet is slated for December 4th-8th in Glasgow, with Olympian Hannah Miley serving as ambassador.
The qualification guidelines are set to ‘optimize medal outcomes in Olympic individual and Olympic relay events’, says British Swimming. The criteria also aim to ‘provide international experience for athletes on a trajectory for podium performance at Tokyo 2020 and/or Paris 2024.’
The European Short Course Championships are deemed ‘optional’ by British swimming, as the competition does not fall under the federation’s ‘National Program.’
A maximum of 20 athletes will be selected for the 2019 European Short Course Championships for Great Britain, with up to 10 of those receiving invitations from performances at this summer’s World Championships in Gwangju, Korea (Olympic events only). The remaining slots will be selected by the High Performance Director, Head Coach and Head of Elite Development, at their discretion.
The 20-athlete maximum is double the count outlined in the 2017 European Short Course Championships procedures, where selections were made specifically from that year’s World Championships, British Summer Championships, World University Games and World Junior Championships.
The squad for 2017’s European Championships contained just 9 swimmers, but the nation still finished 10th in the overall medal table. Adam Peaty brought home the sole gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke.