By Arjun Khanna ‘23, Sports Writer

The spread of coronavirus has not only had a far-reaching impact on everyday life, but also on competitive sports across the globe.When the 2020 NCAA championships were cancelled, many college swimmers saw their season come to an abrupt end. Since then, many swimming facilities have been temporarily shut down on a local, statewide, and national level. People now question whether the sport will ever be the same. More importantly, swimming enthusiasts around the world continue to wonder: when will swimming be safe during the pandemic? 

In some states, swimming facilities have been allowed to stay open, but they now have to follow a much stricter protocol than they did before. For instance, most facilities are strictly limiting occupancy during appointed swim times and mandating swim instructors to wear face masks/shields. Additionally, most indoor facilities have arranged to conduct swimming in an environment of warm, humid air and chlorinated water as these conditions have been proven to limit the spread of coronavirus. In regards to safety, the CDC has asserted that “there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs. Proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection (e.g., with chlorine and bromine) of pools and hot tubs should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.” Science experts strongly believe that if social distancing, mask wearing, and other safety measures are implemented, then swimming is safe. However, direct evidence of this is limited and the CDC continues to study high-risk sports such as swimming and the future implications of the virus on these sports.

Many swimmers fear the possibility COVID – 19 could become a seasonal pandemic and that this would make swimming all the more difficult in future years to come. This could particularly pose obstacles for future winter competition seasons as many swimmers could be forced to swim indoors due to cold weather. The global swimming community is already beginning to witness some potentially long term trends that could transform the sport. For instance, many swimming events, competitions, and practices are now shifting outdoors due to the lower risk of virus transmission in this type of setting. Open water swimming, in particular, has seen massive growth in popularity in the course of this pandemic; in the United States the CDC deemed open water swimming low risk and even suggested that it was possibly better in terms of safety. 

Some swimmers across the country have called for CDC Covid-19 regulations to be imposed in swimming and have advocated for safety. On the other hand, other swimmers have expressed concern over the tightening restrictions. They are worried their sport will be permanently altered. Notably, American Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps said the following in regards to his swimming experience: “This is the most overwhelmed I’ve ever felt.” Phelps believed that that tight COVID-19 protocols were not completely necessary in that they were limiting swimmers in their practice and ultimately affecting their performance. 

COVID, however, is not merely a big-picture issue; the virus has also affected athletics and the sport of swimming in our local Newark Academy community. After swimming was deemed a high risk sport by the CDC, the NJSIAA(New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association) postponed the swimming season start date to February. Rahul Arora ‘23, a member of the Newark Academy swimming team, states, “I think NA swimming is going to be different due to COVID-19 because we can’t be super close together. Still, I’m super excited for it. Last year was amazing and from what I know we are able to overcome anything in our path. Our captains are definitely ready to make this a good season.” Students remain optimistic about the possibility of a return to swimming at NA. Will the sport happen successfully? Only time will tell.