AusLeisure

Following the success of Swimming Australia’s inaugural Australia Swims challenge last year where swimmers clocked up 39,113kms, exceeding the goal by over 4,000kms, the Australia Swims challenge takes on a new component this year. 

The competitive nature of Australians will pit teams such as Team Belgravia Leisure against others to see which swim tribe can top the nation’s leader board for the most kilometres swum during the campaign.

Swimming Australia is encouraging all Australians to celebrate their love of the water. pledging their swimming distances to swim a virtual lap around Australia from 19th-28th January.

“Swimming is a great way to get active and we want to support the Sport Australia Move It AUS campaign and encourage Australians, of all backgrounds and abilities to find 30 minutes a day to be physically active.” said Swimming Australia Chief Executive Officer Leigh Russell.

Each team will have a captain and a charity cause connected to it, allowing Australians to make a choice on which team to pledge their swims to. Team Belgravia Leisure will be led by Olympic gold medalist Brooke Hanson OAM. Hanson is Belgravia Leisure's official Swimming and Water Safety Ambassador helping to spread the swim safe message across Australia and New Zealand.

Last year’s event saw nearly 700 registered swim experiences take place around Australia, and a campaign that reached over three million Australians.

Russell said she expected this year’s campaign, which is presented by Optus, to take on a whole new feel.

“Appealing to the competitive edge of Australians and have teams go head-to-head brings a whole new level of excitement to the Australia Swims campaign.

“Swimming is really unique as it is a life-skill, a sport and a recreational pastime. It knows no barriers and anyone can give it a go.

“Whether you are going to swim 100 metres or five kilometres, we want to encourage everyone to pledge their swims and celebrate their love of the water during this period.

“Our goal is for Australians to reconnect to their love for swimming and inspire people to participate and share their experiences, whether that be through social media or just by having fun with friends and family,” concluded Russell.

Team Belgravia Leisure will be competing against: 
•    Citizens of the Reef, led by Australian Dolphins Shayna Jack, Jake Packard and Mack Horton
•    Soldier On, led by Paralympic Champions Ellie Cole OAM and Brendan Hall OAM
•    Team Reidy, led by Bondi lifeguard Andrew Reid, supporting OneWave
•    Masters Swimming led by Swimming legend Dawn Fraser AC, MBE and World Record holder 100-year-old George Corones, supporting Beyond Blue
•    Surf Life Saving Australia, led by Ali Day and Georgia Miller
•    Beyond the Black Line led by Olympians Linley Frame and Josh Beaver
•    MS Mega Swim led by Paralympian Carol Cooke, AM.

During the event period there will be several marquee events happening around the country, including many activities on Australia Day with the Sydney Harbour Splash, Australian Open Water Championships (Adelaide), Great Australia Day Swim (Melbourne), the Burleigh Swim Run (Gold Coast), the Sorrento Australia Day Swim (Perth) and the Kingston Beach Open Swim (Tasmania) all taking place.

For more information go to https://australiaswims.com.au/ to pick a team and pledge your distances.

For more information on Belgravia Leisure go to https://belgravialeisure.com.au/

Image: Team Belgravia Leisure will be led by Olympic gold medalist Brooke Hanson OAM

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8th February 2018 - Belgravia Group commits to boosting physical activity among Australian children

12th June 2018 - Belgravia Health welcomes massive rise in 12-week challenge involvement

24th July 2015 - Belgravia Leisure and AUSTSWIM partner to boost water safety skills

24th December 2016 - Belgravia Leisure appoints new Centre Manager at WaterMarc Banyule

9th April 2018 - Belgravia Leisure successfully hosts over 200 swimmers in its first NSW Belgravia Cup

30th July 2015 - Belgravia Leisure to introduce New Zealand’s first Swim and Survive program

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