Schedule confirmed for swimming Euros

A total of 453 athletes from 52 countries will compete for honours over seven days from 30 April. 14 Apr 2016
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Maksym Veraksa

Maksym Veraksa

ⒸGetty Images
By IPC

IPC Swimming has published the final competition schedule for the 2016 European Open Championships, which get underway in Funchal, Portugal, on 30 April with the Opening Ceremony.

The schedule is available at the event website.

A total of 453 athletes from 52 countries will compete over seven days at the Complexo Olimpico de Piscinas da Penteada on the island of Madeira.

Live results and coverage will be shown at www.Funchal2016.com throughout.

The non-European entries include swimmers from Rio 2016 Paralympic Games hosts Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore.

Competition will get underway with a bang on 1 May, with the first of the men’s S10 events.

Brazilian multiple world and Paralympic champion Andre Brasil will face Russian European champion Dmitry Bartasinskiy, as well as Madeira native Emanuel Goncalves, in the men’s 400m freestyle S10.

Great Britain’s four-time European gold medallist Andrew Mullen will take on dominant Brazilian Daniel Dias in the men’s S5 events. At their last meeting at the 2015 World Championships, Dias swept all events but Mullen will be waiting to capitalise on any mistakes.

The most decorated athlete from the 2014 edition of the Euros, Ukraine’s Yevheniy Bohodayko, will attempt to defend seven titles in men’s S7 events. However 17-year-old Colombian Carlos Serrano burst onto the scene at the 2015 Worlds, claiming gold in the 100m breaststroke SB7 on his major international debut.

The world’s fastest Paralympian will be in action in the men’s visually impaired races. Ukraine’s Maksym Veraksa is the 50m freestyle S12 world record holder and Paralympic, world and European champion.

Another visually impaired swimmer, Belarusian Ihar Boki, put in another dominant performance at the World Championships in 2015. He left with six men’s S13 titles and will be hoping to repeat that feat in Portugal.

In the men’s S14, Dutch 100m backstroke Paralympic and European champion Marc Evers will try to defend his title from advancing Russian Viacheslav Emeliantsev.

Emeliantsev left the 2015 Worlds with three world records and three golds, including the 100m backstroke.

The women’s competition is set to be equally as thrilling.

Dutch teenager Chantalle Zijderveld will compete against Canada’s Aurelie Rivard in the women’s S10 and SB9.

In 2014 Zijderveld set a new European record on her way to gold in the 100m breaststroke SB9, before going on to take her first world title. Rivard has been setting her own records, including in the 100m freestyle S10 at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games.

France’s 400m freestyle Paralympic and European champion Elodie Lorandi will also be trying to get in on the party.

In the women’s S5, Spain’s Teresa Perales is on her road to an incredible fifth Paralympic Games. The 100m freestyle Paralympic, world and European champion will meet her Norwegian rival Sarah Louise Rung in Funchal.

At the 2014 Euros, Perales and Rung left with four golds each.

The women’s S14 will feature the much anticipated return of Great Britain’s Bethany Firth.

Firth was in record-breaking form in 2015 before an injury put her out of contention for the Worlds. That left Russia’s Valeriia Shabalina to take home two titles after her triple gold and two world records from the 2014 Euros.

The 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships will take place between 30 April - 7 May.

Morning sessions begin at 9:00am (WET) each day and evening sessions at 5:00pm.

Free tickets are still available for download here.