How to race at both of the London Olympic swimming venues in 2016

Entries opened today for two very different swimming events – but both will be held at iconic sporting venues from the London 2012 Olympics. The first is the European Masters Swimming Championships at the London Aquatic Centre and the second is a new open water swimming event in Hyde Park, the setting for the Olympic marathon swim.

The European Masters Championships are part of the LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation) European Aquatics Championships and run from 25 to 29 May. Race distances are from 50m to 800m for freestyle and 50m to 200m for the other strokes with entries costing €45 for your first event and €25 for each subsequent swim. To enter you must be over the age of 25 by 31 December 2016 and be a member of a club which is registered with a national federation affiliated to LEN (so, the ASA or SASA for British swimmers).
In contrast, anyone over the age of 16 can enter day one of the “Swim Serpentine” event, the distance is a full mile and the entry fee is £39. Wetsuits are optional but non-wetsuit swimmers will need to use a tow-float.
Swim Serpentine takes place over two days: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September. The first day is a mass participation event and the organisers have allocated up to 6,000 places for swimmers setting off in 18 waves throughout the day. Entry will be through a ballot, which will close on 13 May or when 16,000 applications have been received.
The second day of the event will feature the newly-created British Open Water Swimming Championships that will be raced over 3.2km and also include an elite invitation-only 5km swim and races for masters swimmers. Full details and information on how to enter the British Championships will be available in March.
“Swim Serpentine offers a unique opportunity to swim one mile in open water in a major event in the Serpentine,” says Hugh Brasher, Event Director for London Marathon Events Ltd., the company organising the event. “We all remember the stunning images from the open water competition in the Serpentine at the London 2012 Olympic Games and this is the chance for everyone to swim in this great venue.”
David Sparkes, Chief Executive of British Swimming, says: “We are excited to be involved with London Marathon on this event to be staged in the iconic Serpentine which will bring back memories for us all of the excitement of London 2012. Now anyone interested in swimming in this world-famous open water venue has the opportunity to experience some of the London 2012 magic. We hope everyone now will sign up and get ready to swim.”
Find out more
European Masters: http://euroaquatics2016.london/
Swim Serpentine: www.swimserpentine.co.uk