The World Aquatics Championships, also known as the World Swimming Championships and World Aquatics Championships, are in their third week. No, it’s not a joke.
PUBLICIDAD
It is an event that could be described as a “world cup of world cups”, since there are six water sports that, over almost a month (from July 11 to August 3 this time), hold their global championships: swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming.
PUBLICIDAD
However, the flagship sport for those who are part of World Aquatics, as is the case in the Olympic Games, is swimming. It has been a part of the sporting event since 1896 and, along with athletics and artistic gymnastics, is one of the most popular sports in the event.
The cities that have hosted World Aquatics Championships are Belgrade (1973), Cali (1975), West Berlin (1978), Guayaquil (1982), Madrid (1986), Perth (1991), Rome (1994), Perth (1998), Fukuoka (2001), Barcelona (2003), Montreal (2005), Melbourne (2007), Rome (2009), Shanghai (2011), Barcelona (2013), Kazan, Russia (2015), Budapest (2017), Gwangju, South Korea (2019), Budapest (2022), Fukuoka (2023), and Doha (2024). The upcoming hosts will be Budapest (2027) and Beijing (2029).
In Singapore 2025, around 2,500 athletes representing 203 countries and territories have gathered, along with Neutral Athletes A (Belarus), Neutral Athletes B (Russia), and Refugee Team Athletes.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN SWIMMING AND DIVING... AND WHO TO FOLLOW?
The swimming competitors’ lists in Singapore 2025 are full of figures.
The Olympic gold medalists of Paris 2024, Leon Marchand (France), Summer McIntosh (Canada), Katie Ledecky (USA), Thomas Ceccon (Italy), and Kaylee McKeown (Australia), among many other stars, are ready to compete.
As always happens in this and other sports, there will be surprises from both established names and athletes who will be making their debut and looking to make their own mark in their respective sports.
In diving, the People’s Republic of China swept all the gold medals in the Olympic disciplines at the 2024 Doha World Championships. Later, in Paris 2024, they would once again dominate all events with ease. It would take a monumental effort to prevent their divers from winning the majority of the gold medals and several of other colors.
On the official event website, it is possible to find more information about the results of the tests that have already been conducted and those that will take place throughout the rest of the week, until the event concludes this Sunday.
THE KEYS
• World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA, is the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the administration of international aquatic sports competitions.
• World Aquatics currently oversees competitions in six aquatic sports: swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming.
• Founded as FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) in 1908, the federation officially changed its name to World Aquatics in January 2023. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• The first FINA World Championship was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1973, featuring competitions in swimming, water polo, diving, and synchronized swimming. At that time, 696 athletes from 47 countries participated.
• Open water swimming was added to the World Aquatics Championships program in 1991, while high diving was added to the program in 2013. In 2017, the discipline of synchronized swimming was renamed artistic swimming.
On July 21, 2019, FINA selected Kazan, Russia, as the host city for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. However, due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Singapore was chosen by World Aquatics to replace Kazan on February 9, 2023.
THE MEDALS
• Made from recycled aluminum cans, these medals are more than just symbols of victory: they are a celebration of sustainability and sports.
PETS
• Ollie the otter and Dewey the dugong. Ollie is often seen in waters, canals, and streets of Singapore. Dewey, who also lives near Singapore, symbolizes strength and marine conservation.
THE SWIMMING POOL
General information about the swimming pool for the swimming tests:
• Pool volume: 3.9 million liters
• Pool depth: 3 meters
• Pool dimensions: 50 m (length) x 26 m (width) x 3 m (depth)
• Filling time: Approximately one week.
• The pool’s water filtration system ensures its cleanliness, allowing for a smooth transition between artistic swimming and swimming competitions.
• Temperature constant from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.
Sources: World Aquatics, International Olympic Committee, and Singapore 2025.