Geneva Challenge for young Scottish swimmers

"This is a great test for our swimmers and we hope they will enjoy the challenge of racing against high quality competitors in Switzerland." Alan Lynn, National Coach

A group of young Scottish swimmers will gather at Edinburgh airport early this afternoon, ahead of their flight to Switzerland, to compete at the 52nd Challenge International de Geneve.

The Challenge International de Genève Swimming Meet (CIG) is one of the premier early season competition outings on the European swimming calendar. 2019 is the 52nd year of the Meet and its impact on the development of the young Scottish contingent will be significant. Attracting some of the world’s leading swimmers every year, it offers an opportunity to test race plans against top quality opposition. 

One of the key features of the CIG Meet is 'youth' finals, providing a realistic incentive for the young Scottish Team to achieve two 'bites' at the apple of achieving their race outcome. Coming as it does, shortly after the Scottish Short Course Championships and the traditional youth camp in Stirling between Christmas and New Year, the trip to the Alps is a chance to debut long course racing strategies for the season ahead. 

The 21-strong contingent travel with a very strong and experienced staff, including several of the support practitioners from last year's successful Commonwealth Games Aquatics team. Adding their insights and advice to the work of the coaching staff will add to the learning experience for the swimmers and deliver on the objectives for the trip.

The 2019 season includes selection for British junior teams competing at FINA World Junior Championships, LEN European Junior Championships and the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF). So there is plenty to race for at the British Championships in Glasgow from 16-21 April, which will act as selection Trials. 

Previewing the weekend, National Coach, Alan Lynn said, 

"This is a great test for our swimmers and we hope they will enjoy the challenge of racing against high quality competitors in Switzerland. Each year we seek to create opportunities for our developing swimmers to race, learn and enjoy the experience of international competition. The CIG Meet in Geneva offers everything we need and they are perfect hosts."

The team includes 5 para-swimmers who will look to set themselves up ahead of the season's major event, the World Para-Swimming World Championships in Malaysia in August 2019. Competing in a fully integrated competition, the para swimmers will be testing themselves against all opposition 'on equal terms'.

Speaking ahead of the trip, ​Disability Performance Development Manager, Paul Wilson said,

“This is a great opportunity for our para-swimmers to implement their travel and race strategies early in the season. As part of the National Youth Squad programme the exposure to varying training and competitive environments is key to the development of these young athletes.”

Start lists can be found HERE.

The link to results can be found HERE.

Athlete List:

Team Staff: