> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Olympic dreams halted by virus
- URL: https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/olympic-dreams-halted-by-virus/
- Published: 2020-05-04T14:24:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-14T10:03:11.000Z
- Author: Jordan Marks
- Tags: News, #Migrated-1786701253228, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-14 09:54

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/63/9b/639bf577-7ed7-44fe-8d64-ac66eaeee42e/content/images/2026/08/60a01fc6-b9db-4706-b0ee-42292dfbba36-jpeg.jpg)

A COB swimmer at a meet earlier in the season. Photograph Morgan Harlow/ Instagram @cob\_swim

The head coach of a leading Midlands swimming club has spoken of the “disruption” that Coronavirus has had on his club's season.

Carl Grosvenor, who coaches at the City of Birmingham Swimming Club, explained how the ending of the season came in the wake of Olympic trials.

Grosvenor had been preparing his swimmers in vigorous training when the outbreak of Covid-19 disrupted his plans.

Speaking of the disruption to the season, Grosvenor said: “ We were pretty close to the Olympic trials, they were meant to be next week.

“We were probably about 30 days out, so that was our absolute priority. We also had a weeks training in London next week and selection for the GB junior squad.”

Sports teams across the country have been unable to train together, with social distancing and lockdown. However, there has been a rise in teams using technology to communicate training regimes to complete at home.

Grosvenor explained how he and the other coaches have been using technology to keep their athletes engaged and in good physical condition.

He said: “The things we’ve done to keep ticking over are two main areas; nutrition and keeping the body in shape with physical workouts so that when we do get back in the pool we’re in top physical shape.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-sS6lKAANp/?igshid=1312sglmtjz3iThe younger swimmers take part in online nutrition workshops. Credit : cob\_swim on Instagram

He added: “We’ve done live cooking workshops, we’ve got a sports and nutrition student from BCU who does a weekly live workshop with all of our swimmers.

“We’ve got exercise plans and circuits that all feed into a live workout each week. Obviously we have four different squads up to the age of 19, so we have to think about making it age relevant.”