Swimmers will be taking the first strokes towards potential Olympic selection in the New Zealand Open Water Championships on a new waterfront course in Wellington this weekend. Thirty-five entries have been received for the 5km and 10km open water swim to be staged on a new course in Oriental Parade on Wellington’s downtown waterfront. There’s interest in the new 10km event which is now included in the Olympic programme. The championships form the selection race for the Australian Open Water Championships, which in turn will be the selection for the World Championships.