Olympic preparations step up as 2020 arrives

8 Jan 2020

The New Year is upon us - and the Olympic Games in Tokyo just got a step closer. The Games are taking place between July 24th and August 9th, and they will provide the primary focus for British Swimming's leading stars as they look to make their mark on the biggest sporting stage of them all.

So what is in store between now and the heats for the Men's 400m Individual Medley - the first Olympic swimming event at this summer's Games - on July 25th? 

The first big date in the 2020 calendar is the annual British Swimming Championships, between April 14th and 19th. 

This year's event returns to the London Aquatics Centre for the first time since 2015, as the best swimmers from across the British Isles target personal bests, national titles and a place on the plane to Japan, with the Championships doubling as the Olympic qualification event. 

Fans in the stands will be able to see which British names can secure their Tokyo 2020 places - and you can check back HERE for updates on ticket details when they go on sale later in the year. 

In May, a British team will be heading to the European Championships in Budapest, where they will go in search of further medals. 

Ben Proud
Ben Proud

The stars of the future will then be on show in the European Junior Championships in Aberdeen between July 8th and 12th, before Sheffield's Ponds Forge plays host to the British Summer Championships, kicking off on July 21st and running until July 26th.

By the time that event comes to a close, the Olympic Games in Tokyo will be well underway. 

The first swimming finals are scheduled to take place on July 26th, in the Men's and Women's 400m Individual Medley, the Men's 400m Freestyle and the Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay. 

Reigning Olympic 100m Breaststroke champion Peaty will be looking to retain his gold medal from Rio 2016, with the final for that event coming on July 27th. 

There is swimming across the first nine days of competition (July 25th - August 2nd) in Tokyo, culminating with the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay showpiece - an event in which the British team of Peaty, James Guy, Duncan Scott and Chris Walker-Hebborn claimed silver four years ago. 

Siobhan-Marie O'Connor also secured a silver in Rio - in the 200m Individual Medley - while Jazz Carlin claimed two medals of that colour, in the 400m Freestyle and 800m Freestyle events. 

But what will the British tally look like this time around? 

We'll have build-up, updates and coverage from across all these events throughout an exciting 2020.