Barking & Dagenham Aquatics Club are delighted that 24 swimmers have qualified for the 2026 Regional Championships in 2026. This is 2x the number of swimmers we had represent in 2025 and a significant milestone for the club to achieve in our first year as an independent club. The full qualifier list represents swimmers from a “broad selection of athletes with different journeys” according to Head Coach, Daniel McEwan. He goes on to add that “Regionals continue to increase in qualification difficulty, so to see so many qualifiers is a testament to the work of all our athletes and coaching staff”.
Congratulations to all of these swimmers. We’re all looking forward to seeing what you achieve next and how you’ll continue to inspire the other up and coming swimmers at the club.
The SE London Summer Championships will be held once again at the iconic long course (50m) London Aquatics Centre in Stratford across two weekends: 25 & 26 April and 2, 3 & 4 May.
How competitions work:
Each season competitive swimmers compete at licensed meets to attain qualification times to get to the next level of competition.
Licensed Meets (Levels 1-4): Licensed meets ensure that times are verified for entry into higher-level competitions.
Level 1: Long Course (50m) meets for qualifying for National, Regional, and County Championships.
Level 2: Short Course (25m) meets for national/regional/county qualifying.
Level 3: Qualifying times for Regional and County Championships (LC or SC).
Level 4: Development/Novice meets.
Ranking: Times achieved at licensed meets are submitted to the official Swim England rankings, which are used to determine qualification.
Progression and Qualifications:
County Championships: Entry-level competition, usually requiring minimum, or in some cases upper-limit, times, often starting from age 10-11.
Regional Championships: Higher-level, requiring faster qualification times than Counties.
National Championships: Elite level (e.g., British Summer Championships), which often invite the top ~24 swimmers in each age group nationally based on their licensed times.