KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Moving its start of the national-level competition season a few months down the lane, USA Swimming canceled its first TYR Pro Swim Series event for the year, citing an abundance of caution amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The event would have been held at the University of Tennessee Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

“With the new Olympic quadrennial only just beginning, and the current COVID-19 conditions across the country, USA Swimming, with the support of event host Tennessee Aquatics and Visit Knoxville, made the decision to prioritize the health and safety of the athletes, staff and event volunteers,” USA Swimming said in a statement.

In years past, Olympic swimming greats appeared at the TYR Pro Series event in Knoxville, including Cammille Adams and Ryan Murphy.

USA Swimming also said the start of the national-level competitive season will move to March and the currently scheduled TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa: https://www.usaswimming.org/event/2022/03/02/default-calendar/tyr-pro-swim-series-des-moines. 

TYR Pro Swim Series is a 3.5-day-long course event televised on NBCSN, the Olympic Channel, as well as live-streamed at usaswimming.org. Historically, each stop attracts between 400-600 of the world’s top swimmers including, USA Swimming National Team members, Junior National Team members and top-50 world ranked swimmers.

No word yet on a potential rescheduling of the Knoxville event.