April is the "D-day" month for all South African swimmers who hope to qualify to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games or the World Student Games, but things have hit a hitch. It is not sure in which pool they are going to dive in to.

The National Championships and Olympic Trials were supposed to be held at the Kings Park Swimming Pool in Durban. But things seem to be in disrepair. The stadium's roof is leaking, the pool heater is not working, and the lightning is on the blink. Apparently, there is no guarantee that anything will be fixed before 7 April. 

Shaun Adriaanse, Swimming South Africa Chief Executive indicated that the National Championships and Trials will in all likelihood have to be moved to Port Elizabeth.

TuksSwimming head coach, Rocco Meiring, hopes the final decision will be made soon.

"We are only eight weeks away from the Olympic Trials, and now there is all this uncertainty. I had hoped the swimmers can compete in Durban as there is a proper warm-up pool. It is going to be crucial when competing over six days.

"It is mindboggling to understand why things can't get fixed in time. The dates for championships and trials were already made known last year.

“For the last six months, every swimmer were giving a 100% day in and day out to ensure they will be at their best. Over December, the Tuks swimmers were only allowed to take a three-day break-24 to 27 December.

“All they expect in return is that everything will be in order when they are going to try and qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games and the World Student Games. For many swimmers, there is a lot at stake-for example bursaries. Now they are being failed by people in the municipality who either don't care or are incompetent."

Meiring, however, had praise for the decision-makers of Swimming South Africa. The National Grand Prix Series had been cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. It left the swimmers in the lurch as they need to race to get that competitive edge before the trials.

Swimming South Africa has arranged a national training camp in Stellenbosch. It starts next Saturday. All of the top swimmers and their coaches had been invited. After a week's training, there will be a gala giving them an opportunity to test themselves.

When asked as to the preparation of Tuks's two Olympic hopefuls - Tatjana Schoenmaker and Kaylene Corbett -  Meiring answered that he was happy.

"I can't expect them to train any harder than they are currently doing."