Swimming and Diving

A norovirus scare nearly derailed the Big Ten Championships before they even began.

The pool at the University of Michigan’s Canham Natatorium was closed to athletes Wednesday morning, forcing coaches to find other facilities for their teams to use as officials performed a deep clean of the infected area.

Officials were confident they had isolated all cases of the virus. Three Michigan swimmers and one Indiana diver had contracted the illness and were being quarantined, according to Swimming World Magazine.

With approval from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and medical personnel, officials decided to go ahead with the meet by early Wednesday afternoon. The timed finals of the 200-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay went ahead as scheduled at their normal 5:30 p.m. start time.

A Northwestern spokesperson reached by phone said the team would not have any comment on the outbreak.

Norovirus is an extremely contagious disease and causes severe gastrointestinal distress.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus infects as many as 21 million Americans each year and results in up to 800 deaths annually.

In 2010, the NCAA Men’s Swimming Championship also saw a norovirus outbreak. Then, the Ohio Department of Health forced organizers to postpone the meet by one day in order to ensure the pool was thoroughly cleaned and safe for swimmers.

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