Champions of the Channel

Champions of the Channel is an elite wave of soloists who are selected through the Champions of the Channel Selection Policy by the RCSA Selection Committee.

The key details for selection to the Champions of the Channel wave are:

• For participants to be considered for the Champions of the Channel wave, they must register as a soloist for the Event during their solo registration period;
• The Competition will include 10 male and 10 female athletes with a requirement for at least one male and female athlete being West Australian.
• To be eligible to participate in the Competition, athletes must place/participate in select events with these events ranked for selection purposes:
  • Placed top 20 in World Aquatics Open Water World Cup events the year prior to the Event;
  • Placed top 10 in 10km Australian Open Water Championships the year of the Event;
  • Placed top 3 in Champions of the Channel the year prior to the Event;
  • Placed top 3 in a 10km State Open Water Championships within the qualifying swim period;
  • The fastest qualifying time from the Official WA 10km Qualifying Swim events.
• In the event that there are more people eligible for the Competition than a priority system is used based on the ranked events.

Swimmers will be contacted directly prior to the Metro Safety Briefing if they have been selected for the Champions of the Channel wave.

On top of the cash prize, the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place Champions of the Channel (male & female) also receive complimentary solo entries for the following year’s Event so they can attempt to reclaim their titles.

Some of the benefits of being selected for the Champions of the Channel wave include:

• First wave to depart on Event day (likely to have favourable conditions and minimal congestion)
• Increased media coverage and promotion
• Eligible for the Champions of the Channel prize money
• Custom gold swim caps with your last name
• Elite competition standards