Close to 700 swimmers from across Victoria will dive into Aquazone in early 2020 with the next long course country championships to be held in Warrnambool.
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The event will be held in the city from January 24-26, in conjunction with other Barwon South West district clubs including Hamilton, Portland, Cobden, Terang and Timboon.
Warrnambool Swimming Club president Kellie Windahl said the significance of this announcement, made at the opening ceremony of the 2019 championships, held in Warragul, could not be understated.
“It’s like having a home grand final,” she said.
“This is what our kids train and strive for...as far as country swimming goes, this is the biggest event of the year.”
Ms Windahl said the event, which hasn’t been held in Warrnambool since 2009, would be a boon for both the swimming club and the wider community.
“It will boost our membership base and also the local economy, because lots of spectators, along with the competitors, come down on the Thursday and stay until the Monday,” she said.
And while Aquazone’s outdoor pool is notoriously one foot longer than 50 metres, Ms Windahl said this would not cause concerns for the championships.
“In this scenario everyone has already qualified and they're racing in the same pool, so it's a level playing field,” she said.
A Swimming Victoria spokeswoman said previous championships have been worth up to $70,000 to the host club.
