With less than a month to go until the World Aquatics Short Course Championships in Beijing, there is a degree of uncertainty around whether Great Britain will send a team to the meet, with a potential alternative trip to the US Open in Texas emerging as an option for at least some swimmers.
The championships are scheduled to take place from 1-6 December but there has been no public announcement from Aquatics GB confirming its intentions or naming a squad. The timing of the two competitions would make this an either/or situation with the US meet falling during the same week as the Beijing championships.
Aquatics GB has a published selection policy for world short course, allowing for a team of up to 15 athletes, selected entirely at the discretion of Chris Spice and Steve Tigg based on 2026 performances and focused on swimmers expected to do well at the 2028 Olympic Games.
That policy stated that selected athletes would be notified by email on or before 23 October, with the deadline for appeals against non-selection set for 28 October so if they are going, swimmers should already know whether they need to get their Chinese visas sorted.
However, on two separate occasions potential team members have suggested that the choice of meet may instead swing to a long course hit out in Texas instead.
In September, Angharad Evans told the SwimSwam podcast that there was still discussion ongoing. “I think there’s an indecision about whether we go to China for world championships or do US Open in Texas” she said. “I think they’re just debating whether they want us to travel all the way out to China or they want long course racing in December.”
More recently on the Weekly Freestyle, Tom Dean was more explicit in stating that he expects to race in Texas. “I’ve got one meet this cycle before the end of 2026, which will be the Texas Open [sic] in the first week of December, which is exciting.” Dean is currently on an altitude camp in Flagstaff, Arizona and will, he says, be “coming back to the US to race, I think for the 5th, 6th of December”.
The cost of a trip to China
Separate to any performance aspects there are understandable logistical considerations that may sit behind any decision not to send a team to Beijing.
The distance involved in travelling to China, the associated costs of flights and accommodation (especially after taking a large team to the European Championships in the summer), and the practicalities of preparing and competing so far from home all need to be weighed against the potential benefits of racing at a world championship, even one which would be expected to be at an extremely high level given the number of SC world records set on the recent world cup circuit and the US trials.
There may also be wider considerations around travelling and competing in China. Although there is no suggestion that these will have played a part in Aquatics GB’s decision-making, British Cycling recently faced questions over advice given to its riders ahead of the Track World Championships in Shanghai, with riders reportedly warned to avoid locally sourced meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as tap water, because of food safety and contamination concerns.
The US Open hasn’t been a regular stop for GB teams, although Scottish Swimming sent a development team in 2022, but it has provided a useful platform for emerging British talent based in the US collegiate system. Lewis Burras is among those to make an impression, with a speedy 100 free at the 2019 edition, while Darcy Revitt is a more recent example. Last year Revitt finished sixth in the 50m freestyle and fourth in the 100m freestyle in Austin, setting her up to make an international debut at this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Whether the potential Texas trip ultimately results in a smaller or more development-focused selection for Beijing, or whether a decision to concentrate on alternative long-course racing opportunities in Texas means that no GB team heads to China, remains to be seen.