Meet INFORMATION

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and U.S. Para Swimming invite U.S. athletes and teams to participate at the 2020 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials - Swimming. 

Important Facts about the Meet

  • The 2020 U. S. Paralympics Team Trials – Swimming is a long course competition hosted by U.S. Paralympics. 
  • This meet is open to U.S swimmers with a physical, visual or intellectual impairment who are United States citizens, have met the qualifying standards, have a 2021 World Para Swimming License and who have a national classification with status NN, NR, NC or an international classification with a status of Review (R), R-Fixed Review Date or Confirmed (C).
  • Only athletes who have completed the 2020 Games Registration for the Tokyo Paralympic Games (or those who do not wish to be considered for team selection) will be accepted into the meet.  For more information on the 2020 Games Registration, please contact Jenny Ryan at Jenny.Ryan@usopc.org.
  • Current IPC Swimming technical rules will govern this meet.  U.S. Paralympics Swimming shall have jurisdiction over all matters not assigned by the rules to the referee, judges or other officials and shall have power to postpone events and give directions consistent with rules adopted for conducting any event.
  • Only coaches, swimmers, personal assistants, and meet officials with current credentials are permitted on deck.

Important Information for Swimmers to Advance to Finals

Only athletes that have met all of the bullet points below are eligible to be nominated to the Paralympic Games team.  All of these bullets are straight out of the Tokyo Paralympic Games Qualification guide. The last bullet point is required of the USOPC.  Due to these requirements, only athletes who have met these requirements will be allowed to advance to finals. 

  • Hold an active WPS Athlete License for the 2021 season;
  • be internationally classified with a ‘Confirmed’ sport class status or a ‘Review’ sport class status with a review date after 31 December 2021;
  • be internationally classified before 30 June 2021; and
  • have competed in at least one (1) of the following competitions between 1 October 2018 and the end of the last 2021 WPS World Series event (i.e. before the end of June 2021):
    • any WPS World Series event,
    • any WPS World Championships,
    • any WPS Regional or Regional Open Championships, or
    • 2019 Parapan American Games
    • Have completed the Tokyo Paralympic Games Registration Long List requirements. 

Host

Paralympic Division, USOPC/U.S. Paralympics
Meet information and results. 

Venue

The University of Minnesota Aquatic Center is a world class natatorium.  This indoor facility is a state of-the-art indoor aquatics facility featuring:   

Eight 50-meter lanes ranging from 7 feet to 7 feet, 10 inches in depth with a movable bulkhead. The separate diving well features a pair of 1- and 3-meter springboards, as well as 1-, 5-, 7.5- and 10-meter diving platforms. The Aquatic Center seats 1,350 spectators and up to 1,200 competitors. 

University of Minnesota Aquatic Center  
1910 University Ave SE,  
Minneapolis, MN 55455  
(612) 626-1352 

Classification will not be offered at this competition.  Only athletes who have been nationally (NN, NR, NC) or internationally classified with a ‘C – Confirmed’ sport class status or a ‘R – Review’ sport class status with a review date are eligible to compete. 
Officials in lead roles will be selected by the U.S. Paralympics Swimming to officiate at this competition based on previous performance at U.S. Paralympics Swimming competitions. 

Officials who wish to volunteer should fill out the application to officiate at https://www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics/Sports/Swimming/Officials. 
Information for athlete safety training, USOPC background check policy and Anti-Doping may be found here.  Please read through the information to know if you are complaint. 

Review the detailed COVID-19 Guidelines . Several specifics for this event: 

  • There will be no spectators allowed 
  • Swimmers with a code exception of A or T under rule 12.1 of the WPS Classification Rule Book will be allowed additional Team Staff at request.  Please contact Erin Popovich if you need to request additional Team Staff. 
  • The format of the meet will be preliminaries/finals. 
  • Only events on the program of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games will be conducted, with the exception of the 50m and 100m free in prelims. 
  • All preliminary events will be seeded by time and gender (regardless of sport class).  Finals will be seeded by sport class.  A swimmer must place in the top eight (8) in their sport class during preliminaries to advance to the final. 
Awards will be presented to the first-place finisher in each sport class in each event.  Award ceremonies will be scheduled throughout finals sessions.  
  • Scratches will only be accepted up until the start of the Technical Meeting on June 16 at 4:00pm. 
  • Only medical withdrawals will be allowed, as per WPS Rules and Regulations, after the above listed deadline. 
Fines and Protests Fees will be accepted in U.S. Dollars.  The fees are as follows: 
  • Re-entry back into the meet for a missed event will be $50.00. 
  • Protest of a Technical Disqualification during competition will be $50.00. 
  • Jury of Appeal will be $100.00
The technical meeting for all coaches/team managers will be held at 5:00pm on Wednesday, June 16th VIRTUALLY. A zoom link and information will be provided to all coaches and team staff in advance of the meeting.  Any questions should be submitted in advance and will be answered during the meeting. Information from the meeting will be posted after the technical meeting here. 

The University of Minnesota Aquatic Center will be available for training: 

  • TBD
The diving well and training pool will be available for warm-ups and cool-downs during the competition. There will be a max of three (3) swimmers per lane.  In line with COVID-19 guidelines, we ask all athletes to limit their access to 20-30 minutes before/after their race and be efficient with their time so all athletes can prepare appropriately.
In line with COVID-19 guidelines, swimmers should come to the pool dressed for competition.  Changing rooms for each gender are provided and are wheelchair accessible. There are several family changing rooms that are also available. There will be a designated spot for Minor athletes to change in the locker rooms. 

There are two (2) call rooms:  

  • The 100m call room will be located at the timing side of the pool.
  • The 50m and 150m call room will be located on the timing side of the pool near the training pool. 

It is the responsibility of the athletes to report to the Call Room no later than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of their event. Regulations outlined in the World Para Swimming Rules and Regulations concerning swimwear will apply; swimwear (caps, goggles and swimsuits) must be from the approved list and might be checked in the call room. Athletes will be escorted from the Call Room onto the pool deck.  

Lifeguards will be on duty at all times during warm-up and competition and are trained to handle water emergencies and first aid assistance aid on the deck. Sports Medicine physician services will also be available for any medical attention required during the meet. This includes minor injuries such as scrapes/abrasions or cuts, concern for more significant injuries such as concussion, sprains, broken bones, worsening spasticity/dystonia, various other medical conditions/issues, or assistance with medical emergencies. Sports Medicine physicians will also be able to help with any COVID-19 questions.
  • Selection Procedures for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games Team are posted at https://www.teamusa.org/usparaswimming/selection-procedures  
  • The U.S. Paralympics Swimming Tokyo Paralympic Games Team nominations will be announced on Sunday, June 20, 2021. More information about the team announcement will be provided at a later date.   

On-site Meet Director:
Jenny Sternecker
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Jenny.Sternecker@usopc.org
719-208-5835

Pre-meet Director:
Erin Popovich
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Erin.Popovich@usopc.org
719-238-9580

Facility Contact:
Linda McKee
lmckee@umn.edu

Meet Referee:
Mark Rieniets
Rieniets@gmail.com