Australia pulls team from short-course swimming worlds

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Swimming Australia has scrapped its national short-course titles and won’t be sending a full team to the world short-course championships in December because of travel difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia’s elite swimmers have recently returned from the Tokyo Olympics and are undergoing mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine as part of the country’s strict border protection regulations. The Australian swimmers won nine gold medals at the Tokyo Games. Swimming Australia chief executive Alex Baumann says individual swimmers who have qualified and want to compete at the Dec. 16-21 world short-course event in Abu Dhabi would be supported.