Swimming Australia secures event host venues through to 2017

Swimming Australia has announced the host venues for its major domestic events: the Australian Open; Age; Short Course and Open Water Swimming Championships, confirmed until the end of 2017.

Following on from the success of the 2012 and 2013 Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide, the South Australian Aquatic & Leisure Centre has once again been chosen as the host venue for the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships which will double as a selection event for the Rio Olympic Games.

Swimming Australia describes the South Australian Aquatic & Leisure Centre, which will also host the Australian Age Championships in 2016 and the Australian Short Course Championships in 2017, as "a world class facility that has proven itself capable of hosting major national events and attracting a large crowd."

In 2015 the swimming calendar will kick off with the Open Water Championships in Perth from 13th to 15th February and then in April, Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre will take over to host both the Australian Open and the Australian Age Championships as well as the Short Course Championships in November.

With Queensland a home base for a number of current Australian Swim team members, Brisbane will host the 2016 Australian Short Course Championships as well as both the Australian Open and Age Championships in 2017.

This is the first time Swimming Australia has secured venues for three consecutive years and with the host states locked in, Swimming Australia will now be able to provide information to clubs, states, coaches and athletes to forward plan their competition schedule.

Swimming Australia Chief Executive Mark Anderson said that taking a longer term plan and appointing venues for the next three years would benefit the sport in a number of ways.

Anderson explained “our approach is to implement longer term plans across all areas of our organisation to ensure we are aligned in our pursuit of success. This is important for our Australian Swim Team and all areas of Swimming Australia.

“With venues for the next three years now secured, we will have significantly more time to work with our partners to ensure that our events grow and develop. This approach will also benefit our swimmers and swimming community.

“We are pleased with the level of interest in hosting our important events and we look forward to sharing the sport of swimming in a number of locations around Australia over the coming three years.”

The Australian Age Championships, which attracted over 1,700 entrants in 2014, will continue to be scheduled during the school holidays in 2015, 2016 and 2017, allowing more school-aged swimmers to enter and supporters to attend, which will no doubt have a fantastic effect on the growth and of the sport and development of the junior swimmers.

With the Australian Swim Team returning from the Commonwealth Games with a record medal haul, this forward planning is a part of the next steps on the journey to becoming the best in the world.

The full timetable for event host venues is:

2015          
Open Water Championships - 13th to 15th February - Perth
Australian Age Championships - 13th to 20th April - Sydney
Australian Championships - 3rd to 10th April - Sydney
Australian Short Course Championships - 5th to 7th November - Sydney

2016           
Open Water Championships -12th to 14th February - TBC
Australian Age Championships -28th March to 4th April - Adelaide
Australian Championships - 8th to 15th April - Adelaide
Australian Short Course Championships  - 1st to 5th November - Brisbane

2017          
Open Water Championships - 10th to 12th February - Adelaide
Australian Age Championships - 10th to 17th April - Brisbane
Australian Championships - 25th to 31st March - Brisbane
Australian Short Course Championships - 15th to 17th November - Adelaide

23rd May 2011 - NEW SOUTH AUSTRALIAN STATE AQUATIC CENTRE TO HOST OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS