Communities in the Greater Saint John region are preparing to host their biggest swim meet since the pandemic began.
It’s the first time in five years that New Brunswick has hosted the East Coast Championships, which start Saturday and run through Wednesday.
Swim Meet Manager Jodie Lowe said more than 350 swimmers on 36 teams from seven provinces will compete in the pool portion at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.
The meet will feature morning preliminary swims to qualify for evening finals, with trophies awarded to the top three swimmers in each category.
Then on Wednesday, open water competitions will take place at Meenan’s Cove in Quispamsis. More than 100 registered swimmers will compete in the one-kilometre, two-kilometre and five-kilometre races — the largest turnout for a sanctioned open water event in New Brunswick in over a decade.
“This is the last meet of the Swim New Brunswick season for most of our swimmers, and the top probably 20 to 25 swimmers will be on their way to junior and senior national championships in August,” said Lowe.
Lowe also says hosting the East Coast Championships elevates the region to a national level.
“Saint John would be the only city right now in the province that would be capable of hosting a national championship, so here’s hoping the updates to the aquatic centre going forward will provide us with some of those opportunities to bid on some of those national events,” she added.
More details about the championships can be found by clicking here.
