Swimming Canada – OTTAWA– Canadian Swimmers will feel right at home while competing in Japan during the next quadrennial.
“Swimming Canada is thrilled to establish this relationship with the Prefecture of Wakayama leading up to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Ahmed El-Awadi, CEO of Swimming Canada. “We have already developed a strong working relationship with the prefecture staff and we are excited to foster this relationship moving forward.”
With Japan hosting three major international swimming championships over the next four years, this agreement gives Swimming Canada a home-base from which to operate while overseas. The 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, the 2020 Olympic Games, and the 2020 Paralympic Games will all take place in Tokyo.
John Atkinson, High Performance Director of Swimming Canada, is excited about the years to come in partnership with Wakayama.
“The training facilities in Wakayama are absolutely world class and we could not ask for a better staging camp set up for the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are confident that Wakayama will offer our teams the optimal environment to prepare for success.”
The partnership also aims to grow the sport of swimming leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. For both Swimming Canada and the Prefecture of Wakayama, this will be accomplished through potential coaching clinics, swimming clinics, and community events hosted by both parties.