Following strong opposition from the British Long Distance Swimming Association, the Outdoor Swimming Society, a group of Scottish open water swimmers and an online petition, the proposal to create a Scottish Open Water Swimming Association (SOWSA) was withdrawn on 7 February.
SOWSA was a proposed new charity that aimed to promote and grow safe open water swimming in Scotland. The intention was to launch SOWSA following a three-month consultation period, ending 13 February.
Opponents of the proposal cited concerns around lack of accountability, governance, transparency and commercial conflicts of interest.