The European short-course swimming championships, which is due to take place later this year have been switched from Montpellier to Riesa in Germany after the French hosts pulled out. "Montpellier had withdrawn because the organisers could not meet all the requirements of the agreement", said Sven Egil Folvig, secretary of European swimming's governing body LEN.
The new venue is based in the former East Germany between Leipzig and Dresden while the Scottish capital Edinburgh offered to step in and organise the December 12-15 championships. The LEN executive met during the world short-course championships in Moscow and accepted Riesa's offer. Edinburgh wanted to hold the championships a week later than scheduled and that was felt to be too close to Christmas.
Swim Ireland have bid to host the championships in 2003 in Abbotstown.
Filed by James Shortt
