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The chief executive of Swim England has clarified why clubs and swim schools have only been advised to cancel activities during the coronavirus outbreak rather than being told to stop.

Jane Nickerson said Swim England’s affiliated clubs could find themselves at risk of not being correctly insured if the national governing body had ordered them to stop activities and they had then continued. However, if clubs were advised of the latest guidance and then carried out appropriate risk assessments on whether it was still safe to take part in aquatic activities, they would still be covered.

Jane said: “We understand all the concerns around the guidance we have issued so far and that some of you would prefer that we send out definitive instructions about what you should do within your club environment. There are important reasons why we are issuing guidance, albeit strong guidance, and are not mandating clubs to stop activities, such as training, social get-togethers, face-to-face meetings, land-work and anything else you do within your club environment.”

“The most important reason is due to insurance. All clubs benefit from high-quality insurance as part of the Swim England membership package. Within any insurance policy, including ours, there is a reasonable precautions condition which means that the liability indemnity may be impacted if a club deliberately avoids instruction from the governing body or is found to be acting recklessly. This means that if we mandate clubs to stop activities and they continue to operate, they may find themselves in a position whereby their liability indemnity is not in place.”

“However, if we issue guidance, based on the best advice we can obtain, clubs can then carry out their own risk assessment to determine if they can continue to safely deliver activities in certain situations for certain swimmers. All clubs should record their decisions, whether they are proceeding or not, and ensure risk assessment and risk management is considered throughout.

“The health and well-being of everyone is our primary importance and we are committed to operating in the national interest. This is an ever-changing situation and we will update the guidance when necessary.”

“A number of members have expressed concern that we originally advised clubs to continue training as schools were open and have now changed that advice. The change followed the stronger advice from Government to avoid non-essential activities, take on social responsibility and ensure social distancing. I appreciate for those of us with chlorine in our blood, swimming does feel essential, but in reality it is not the same as going to school. The majority of schools had curtailed extra-curricular activities, before the decision to announce they were closing from Friday, which adds weight to the guidance we have given. We are working to obtain the best advice possible and will continue to share this with you.”

Issued 18 March 2020

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday 16 March a range of measures to help combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Having further reviewed the guidance, it is Swim England’s interpretation that club activity falls into the ‘public gathering’ category and therefore it is strongly advising clubs to consider cancelling or postponing activity – including events – until the end of May. Swim schools should also make an informed decision on future lessons based on the current information from the Government.

Swim England will suspend talent activities across all disciplines with immediate effect, having already announced the decision to cancel all national events until the end of May. This will include all international and domestic camps, competitions and related activities such as coach conferences across all aquatic sports.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England Chief Executive, recognised the worries from clubs and learn to swim providers but said a final decision on whether to call off sessions and events had to rest with them. She added: “We strongly advise on what we believe is the best course of action in the interests of our coaches, teachers, athletes, learners and volunteers. We will review this on an ongoing basis and continue to provide updates.”

Meanwhile, George Wood, Swim England’s Sport Development Director, has said the suspension on talent activities will be in place until further notice.

17 March 2020

Swim England has cancelled a number of forthcoming events due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The decision has been taken following the Government’s announcement to implement increased social distancing, avoid crowds gathering and carrying out any unnecessary travel.

All competitions organised by the national governing body that are scheduled to be held between now and the end of May have been called off. That includes the preliminary and qualification rounds and finals for the Water Polo National Age Group Championships for U17s and U19s boys and girls and the Artistic Swimming National Championships. The British Masters Championships, which is organised and hosted by Swim England, will also not take place. Entry fees and spectator tickets for all cancelled events will be refunded. Swim England will look at the potential of rescheduling the events later in the year if that proves to be viable.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England chief executive, said: “Cancelling events is not a decision to take lightly but following the latest announcement by the Government, it’s only right and fair to our members and clubs that we made an announcement sooner rather than later. We hope this will allow people to cancel hotels and travel arrangements with the minimum of cost. We understand the frustration of those who have been training hard for our national competitions but the health and well-being of our athletes, coaches and volunteers is of paramount importance to us. Ideally, we would like to rearrange these events and we will look into that but it may not prove to be possible which is why we are refunding all entry fees and spectator tickets. We’d like to apologise to everyone for any inconvenience and disappointment these cancellations will cause but hope you understand this decision has been taken out of our hands due to the unprecedented situation we are facing.”

Currently the Swim England Diving National Age Group Championships is still scheduled to go ahead at the beginning of June but Swim England will continue to review national guidance. Jane added: “We will continue to review advice from Government agencies and liaise with the venue operators in relation to our events and competitions from June onwards. Sadly, this virus is impacting our sport at a key time for open meets and regional championships. Whilst Swim England cannot dictate to regions and clubs, we do strongly suggest that the advice of the Government is heeded. We understand the concerns around the qualifying window for the Swim England Summer Meet, which is impacted by the British Swimming Summer Championships. It has been agreed that the current window will be suspended and a technical meeting will take place this week to determine a process for issuing invitations for these meets.”

With reference to Swim England clubs, she continued: “At present the Government has not closed schools or restricted school activity and therefore we do not see any reason why clubs should not continue with their training programmes in their own environment within the guidelines of the facility. We do not recommend training camps take place with members from different clubs”, and concluded “I am really sorry we are in a position whereby events are cancelled and we are recommending a curtailment of activities. However, this will not last for ever and we all need to work together to protect ourselves and each other.”

Meanwhile, the organisers of Swimathon have also announced the Swimathon 2020 event weekend – scheduled to take place between 27-29 March – has been postponed until later in the year.

Issued 16 March 2020

Swim England is continuing to follow Government and Public Health England guidance over staging events in the light of the coronavirus outbreak – but will review the situation at a meeting next week.

A Swim England spokesperson said: “We have been receiving a number of calls regarding events taking place and we understand the concerns of our members and clubs. The current advice is that there is still no requirement to cancel sporting events, although we appreciate a number of other national governing bodies have taken the decision to so. We are continuing to evaluate what is an ongoing situation and we will be meeting with our colleagues at British Swimming on Monday to undertake another risk assessment for forthcoming events before deciding the next course of action.”

Among the events to be considered at Monday’s meeting are the FINA Diving World Series, which is scheduled to take place at the London Aquatics Centre between 27-29 March, and the British Masters Championships at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge due to be held from 24-26 April.

“Cancelling events is not a decision we would take lightly but the health and wellbeing of our athletes, volunteers and spectators will be at the forefront of our discussions,” added the spokesperson. In the meantime, we would encourage everyone taking part in all our aquatic sports over the weekend to enjoy the competitions but be mindful of the advice from the Government and Public Health England. The guidance we have received is that water and the chlorine within swimming pools will help to kill the virus. It’s important, however, to ensure that everyone visiting pools follows the latest hygiene advice to help reduce the risk of infection.

Travel advice for clubs

“Competitors should shower before and after entering the water, while spectators and volunteers should regularly wash their hands for 20 seconds using soap and water or a sanitiser gel. Most importantly, if you feel unwell, please do not attend events or training and seek appropriate medical advice.”

Meanwhile, Swim England and British Swimming are advising clubs to consider Government guidance regarding any planned overseas travel. The Swim England spokesperson said: “The Government has recently advised schools and colleges to cancel overseas trips for children under 18 until further notice. Swim England and British Swimming are advising clubs to consider this guidance in relation to any overseas trips that they may have planned. We also suggest clubs follow the advice regarding travel to domestic events. We will continue to review guidance from Government and issue further information accordingly.”

Swim England will continue to keep everyone updated on its latest position regarding the coronavirus outbreak via www.swimming.org and its social media channels – Twitter and Facebook.

Issued 13 March 2020

The Swim England SWR Coaches Conference due to take place tomorrow, Saturday 14 March, in Taunton has been cancelled. UK Coaching has advised the Swim England Talent Team that they are unable to offer short/medium term support due to Covid-19, which means that UK Coaching deliver staff are no longer available to attend the conference. In light of speakers being unable to attend, the SWR Coaches Conference has been postponed. It is hoped to reschedule the event in late May/ mid-June.