THE ENGLAND Men’s Float Team will not be attending this year’s European Champs due to quarantine and travel issues relating to the Covid pandemic.
The 2021 event is set to take place on the Sorraia River in Coruche, Portugal, in late July, and as it stands only six nations have signed up for it.
England Manager, Mark Downes, explained why England made the tricky decision to drop out:
“We have to travel through France, currently in the amber zone, to get to the venue. As a result, we’d have to do PCR tests to get back through, as well as potential quarantining. There’s also been issues getting insurance. In the end, there were just too many hurdles to jump through to make it viable. Things might change in a few weeks’ time, but a decision had to be made.”
Mark was more optimistic regarding England’s prospects of attending the World Champs in the autumn, saying:
“I’m hopeful that we’ll have positive news regarding the team going to Italy for September’s World Champs. We’ll be doing everything we can to make it happen.”
The England Feeder Team’s deadline to enter its World Champs, which take place in France from 6-12 July, is fast approaching, and we’ll be bringing an update from manager Dean Barlow in a future issue.