British Swimming have outlined our selection policy for the 2022 World and European Junior Swimming Championships, with a greater number of opportunities available for young athletes to continue their transition on the path to major senior successes.
A packed aquatics calendar next year includes this duo of top-level junior meets. The European Junior Championships will take place in Bucharest, Romania in July 2022, while Kazan in Russia will play host to the World Junior event the following month.
Up to 50 places will be available across the two teams, with selections based on performances at the 2022 British Swimming Championships. This is in keeping with British Swimming's focus on bringing through potential Olympic and World Championship medallists of the future early in an Olympic cycle.
The impact of the pandemic has meant limited competition opportunities for junior swimmers across Britain - and the meets in Bucharest and Kazan will serve to provide priceless race experience and the chance for swimmers to test their arena skills on the international stage.
Speaking on the 2022 selection policy, British Swimming Head of Elite Development Tim Jones said: "For us, 2022 is an incredibly important year to provide extended opportunities to a cohort of young swimmers who have been so badly affected by the pandemic.
"We normally increase the number of places available on our Junior representative teams early in an Olympic cycle to search out the next generation of hidden gems.
"The combination of the European Junior and World Junior meets next summer allows us to do this - and with such a short three-year run in to the Paris 2024 Games, we need to encourage as many young swimmers as possible to take up the journey towards senior international success."
At July's European Junior Championships in Italy, a 24-strong British team returned with 12 medals, including two golds - courtesy of Katie Shanahan in the Women's 200m and 400m Individual Medley - and a hat-trick of relay podiums.
The full selection policy can be seen on the 2022 Selection Policies page.