OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR ÖTILLÖ, THE SWIMRUN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2021.
The original ÖTILLÖ course goes over and between 24 islands, a total distance of 75 km and with more than 100 land-owners.
Every year we send a letter to each landowner and ask for permission to pass on their land. We have gone from 20 persons to 320 persons over the years.
The course goes through nature reserves, through nationally protected areas and through Natura 2000 areas.
We can not increase the number of participants nor do it more than one time per year to not put more pressure on the land-owners, on the land, on the unique flora and on the animals.
The 25 teams that are carried forward to 2021:
- We have always carried forward the 9 teams that are the top 3 in each category. As we do not have a race in 2020 these are still the current World Champions, 2nd and 3rd.
- The fifteen (15) 7 /24 teams. These teams have fulfilled a concept that ended this year.
- The one (1) charity team that payed more than 6000€ to a charity auction ”Musikhjälpen- sex is not a weapon”.
All other spots are cancelled.
Direct qualification spots:
Some teams have gotten their spots as teams ahead of them in the result lists, turned down their spot for 2020 as they could not for some reason participate in that event. This would mean that some would be able to keep their spot and others not.
In the same way as we have removed all the direct qualification spots above we have also removed the 24 direct qualification spots from the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series in Engadin this weekend as they were for the 2020 race that now is cancelled. Engadin, will as all other potential World Series races in 2020 and 2021 have 6 direct qualification spots to ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2021.
Ranking:
The Swimrun Ranking system that we have created has the sole purpose of being a tool for us to select the best teams with as fresh results as possible to be on the start line of the World Championship.
The teams selected for ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2020 via ranking points were selected based on points accumulated between January 2018 – December 2019. If these teams would have continued to be carried forward then it would be based on results all the way back to 2018 and not current results. There would also not be any spots for the teams that are racing this year.
As all 2018 points disappear by the end of this year and all 2019 points are devalued by 75% by the end of the year it is equal for everyone. However, the teams that actually race in 2020 and have the most current points are also the ones who will be higher up in the ranking.
This year will have few races and by doing one merit race or one World Series race you will easily boost your points as everyones total points will be less overall (explained above).
For 2021 we have reduced the number of Directors choice spots, we have increased the number of ranking spots and potential World Series Qualification spots.
The whole selection process as described above has the only purpose of having the strongest teams on the start line of ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship.
Michael, Mats and the ÖTILLÖ team.
