Search is on to find latest inductees into Swim England Hall of Fame

The nomination period to find the latest wave of inductees into the Swim England Hall of Fame is now open.

Swim England created its Hall of Fame as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations in 2019 to honour the achievements of individuals who have made a significant impact on aquatics.

Since then, 37 pioneers of the sports, athletes, coaches plus dedicated volunteers have been included in the Hall of Fame.

Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel, was the latest inductee earlier this year.

She was added on International Women’s Day in March, which also coincided with the release of the film Vindication Swim, which celebrated her remarkable achievement and life.

Once the nomination period closes at 11:59pm on Saturday 31 August, a panel of representatives from all aquatic disciplines will then review the submissions and decide who should be added to the Hall of Fame.

They will then be officially inducted during the Swim England National Awards, at the Great Hall, University of Birmingham, on Saturday 30 November.

The judges will be looking at how nominees have gone above and beyond in their contribution to swimming, para-swimming, artistic swimming, diving, open water and water polo against the following criteria:

Athlete

Must have had success at the highest level (European, World, Commonwealth or Olympic) AND contributed to the development of the sport in England to bring around positive change.

The focus of the Swim England Hall of Fame is to recognise those athletes who have used success to positively contribute towards the development of the sport in a significant way over a period of time.

Athlete nominations will normally be considered after retirement from the highest level of their performance, except in exceptional circumstances.

Coach

Must provide evidence of having worked at the very highest level of performance and have achieved success in one or more of the following areas:

• Enabling an athlete to break through to the very highest levels of attainment;
• Coaching a team to break through to the very highest levels of attainment;
• Coaching athletes to world class success (Olympic or World medallists).

Volunteer/administrator/official

Must illustrate having made an extraordinary impact to the sport. The nomination must demonstrate why there is something special about the achievements an individual has made and show where they have made a significant difference.

Long service is not part of the criteria. Although having achieved over a period of time is helpful, it is more about the outcomes and achievements. There must have been a demonstrable positive change brought about as a result of the individuals’ input.

To suggest someone for inclusion, please click here to complete the nomination form.