Danes and Faroese to confirm their Olympic spots this weekend

Starting Thursday 22 and ending on Sunday 25, all Danish and Faroese Olympic qualified and hopefuls will compete at the Danish Trials 2012 in Copenhagen, trying to either make the qualification time for the London 2012 Olympics, or the European Championships in Debrechen, or if they have already done so, a lesser ‘stability time’ to demonstrate good form. The Danish Trials are also the Danish qualification meet for the European Junior Championships in Antwerpen this summer.

Options to follow the event online look very promising, with the Danish Swimming Federation providing both live timing in real-time using IC Control technology, and live streaming in collaboration with the national TV and radio broadcaster DR.

Other interesting links:

• Official startlists / psych sheets on svoem.dk
• Time schedules heats and finals on svoem.dk
• More interactive startlists on livetiming.dk
• Interactive result lists on livetiming.dk
• Danish Olympic qualification standards and ‘stability’ times

Heats start at 10:00 local time (09:00 UTC) and finals at 17:30 (16:30 UTC), Monday – Saturday, and then at 10:00 (08:00 UTC) and 17:00 (15:00 UTC) on Sunday because of change in schedule and Daylight Saving Time change.

The Danish qualification system is pretty complex, but I’ll try to explain the most important parts here after the break (as far as I understand the rules), and keep you posted with the actual selections announced in Danish media.

The picture is of the two Faroese swimmers at this meet, Pál Joensen and Magnus Jákupsson, taken by Jákup Jacobsen a few days ago. There is also a third guy with Faroese parents, Frans Johannesen, but with Danish sports nationality.

Danish and Faroese Olympic qualification

The Danes use a qualification period starting with the World Championships in Shanghai and ending now with the Danish Trials. If I understand it correctly, there have been other qualification meets than these two, but in reality all those who have already made the time standard for the Olympics, did it in Shanghai.

Already qualified Danish swimmers are Lotte Friis, Jeanette Ottesen, Mads Glæsner and Rikke Møller Pedersen, plus the Danish women’s 4×100 freestyle relay. Also qualified is Faroese swimmer Pál Joensen, who at the Olympics will compete under the Danish banner, while competing under the Faroese at all other meets.

No-one is totally safe though, until after these Trials. Those who have qualified have to show good form now by managing a ‘stability time’ which is the qualification time plus 1.5%, and then of course you still have to be among the two fastest when the Trials are over. After this, those qualified are ‘safe’ and can go on altitude camps etc., while others get a second chance at the European Championships in Debrechen, for the remaining spots on the Olympic event list.

There are exceptions – Mathias Gydesen is excused because of study in the United States, to try at the Indianapolis Grand Prix on March 29-31, rather than now at the Danish Trials. And already qualified breaststroker Rikke Møller Pedersen might be excused from making the stability time now at the Trials, because of problems with a rib now a few days before the Trials.

So, if for instance Pál doesn’t make the stability time of 15:25.51 now at the Trials, I guess he could try again at the Europeans in May, or maybe seek for an exemption from the rules. If he makes the stability time, two faster swimmers now have to beat his 14:46.33 from Shanghai, to take his place.

Danish Olympic Qualification – Women

Danish Olympic Qualification – Men

A last interesting event is a special men’s 4×200 freestyle relay that will be arranged during the finals on Saturday, if at least three guys are faster than 1:49.82 in the individual event on Friday. This will then be one relay consisting of the 4 fastest Danes (maybe including Pál), trying to make 12th fastest time from Shanghai, 7:15.65. This relay will probably be deciding whether 1 or 2 Danes get to go to the Olympics, if swum.

Danish qualification times for the Europeans

The Danish qualification times for the Europeans and European Juniors are listed here, I read that there are stability times somewhere for the Europeans, but haven’t found them yet, while the European Juniors qualification times are supposed to be met during finals now at the Trials, except if the junior swimmer doesn’t make the 800/1500 final, or if he or she doesn’t make final because of spots there being taking by non-Danish swimmers.

The Faroese qualifications for the Europeans and European Juniors are really simple, there is a qualification time and a qualification period. Pál and Magnus are already qualified for these two events, and Magnus for the European Juniors. Pál will almost certainly not go to the Europeans, because of altitude camp. Period.

So

A lot of rules and exceptions, I guess the best solution is just to sit back and follow what the Danes themselves write on for instance www.svoem.dk, www.simma.nu/dk and www.swimnews.dk. I’ll try to translate and repost here, these next few days, to make it a little bit easier for non-Danes or -Faroese to comprehend.