Stage set for swimming at Glasgow 2018 European Championships

The European Championships will be taking place in Glasgow from the 2-12 August 2018, taking on a multi-sport format for the first time.

The swimming events will take place at Tollcross International Sports Centre. This was the site of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games three years ago. Open water swimming events are scheduled to be swum in the picturesque Loch Lomond.

Britain has been at the forefront of European swimming for some years. The swimming squad in the London 2016 European Aquatics Championships tallied a total of 22 medals, including seven gold.

Both Adam Peaty and Fran Halsall broke championship records at the London Aquatics Centre. Peaty stole the show in the 100m Breaststroke to finish ahead of Ross Murdoch while Halsall’s gold came in the 50m Backstroke.

In the open water races, there are a number of athletes who are starting to flourish. At the 2016 European Open Water Championships in Hoorn, Danielle Huskisson claimed gold in the 5km race.

The new multi-sport format

The new multi-sport format will happen on a quadrennial basis from 2018, and the current biennial European Aquatics Championships will still take place in between quadrennial cycles.

There are seven sports included in the new event: aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon. Aquatics is split into a further four disciplines; swimming, diving, open water and synchronised swimming.

ASA England Programmes Swimming lead Grant Robins said: “The new European Championships multi-sport format is a great way for athletes and their teams to gain experience in preparation for bigger events like the Olympic Games.

“Multi-sport events are very different to individual sport championships. They help the athletes to grow as they start to understand how to work with athletes from other sports. Being part of a bigger GB team is a unique and rewarding experience, and should help athletes in their development.”

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