World Aquatics

World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (French: Fédération internationale de natation; English: International Swimming Federation), is the international group recognized by the International Olympic Committee for managing international competitions in water sports. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It was founded as FINA (Fédération internationale de natation; International Swimming Federation) in 1908 and was officially renamed World Aquatics in January 2023.

World Aquatics currently oversees competition in six aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. It also manages competitions for older athletes and hosts the World Aquatics Masters Championships for competitors aged 25 years and older.

History

World Aquatics started on 19 July 1908 in the Manchester Hotel in London after the 1908 Summer Olympics. Eight countries joined together: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, and Sweden.

In 1973, the first World Aquatics Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The events included swimming, water polo, diving, and synchronized swimming. In 1986, the group opened its first permanent office in Lausanne, Switzerland. Over time, new events like open water swimming and high diving were added. In 2022, the organization changed its name to World Aquatics. In 2023, it planned to move its headquarters to Budapest, Hungary, with the move set to finish by 2027.

Members

Further information: List of World Aquatics member federations

In 2017, Bhutan joined World Aquatics as the 208th member. Then, Anguilla became the 209th member. By 2025, São Tomé and Príncipe joined as the 210th member.

World Aquatics lets athletes without a member federation compete under the "Athlete Refugee Team" name.

Members are grouped by continent into five continental associations:

• Africa (53 members): Africa Aquatics
• Americas (45 members): PanAm Aquatics
• Asia (45 members): Asia Aquatics
• Europe (52 members): European Aquatics
• Oceania (15 members): Oceania Aquatics

The numbers show how many members are in each area, not the number in each association.

Organisation & Structure

World Aquatics has different groups to help manage its activities. The Congress is the main decision-making group and meets every two years. The Bureau includes the President and other members from different parts of the world. There are also special committees for athletes and for different swimming activities.

World Aquatics plans to move its headquarters from Switzerland to Budapest, Hungary, but this needs approval from all members.

Current bureau members

Presidents

Leaders of World Aquatics work for four years. Their time in charge begins and finishes after the Summer Olympics.

Tournaments

World Aquatics Championships

The biggest event organized by World Aquatics is the World Aquatics Championships. This event happens every two years and includes all six water sports. Swimmers race in a 50-meter pool during this championship.

The World Open Water Swimming Championships, also called "Open Water Worlds," is part of the World Aquatics Championships. Sometimes, separate Open Water Championships were held in other years between 2000 and 2010.

The World Masters Championships, known as "Masters Worlds," is for athletes aged 25 and above in most water sports. Since 2015, it has been held together with the World Aquatics Championships. Before that, it happened separately every two years.

Before 2001, these championships were held at different times. From 2001 to 2019, they were held every two years. Because of changes from the COVID-19 pandemic, the championships will be held every year from 2022 to 2025. After that, they will go back to every two years starting in 2025.

Stand-alone discipline competitions

World Aquatics also runs separate tournaments and series for individual sports, including events for younger athletes.

Discipline world tournaments

• Swimming: World Swimming Championships (25 m), also called "Short Course Worlds," happens every two years in a 25-meter pool
• Water polo: Men's and Women's Water Polo World Cup, replacing the former Water Polo World Leagues
• Diving: Diving World Cup, held every two years
• High diving: High Diving World Cup, held every year

Discipline World Series

• Swimming: Swimming World Cup, held every year, usually in a 25-meter pool
• Diving: Diving World Series, held every year
• Artistic swimming: Artistic Swimming World Cup, held every year
• Open water swimming: Marathon Swim World Series, held every year

Junior championships

World-level championships for younger athletes have different age limits depending on the sport:

• Swimming: World Junior Swimming Championships, held every two years
• Water polo: Junior, Youth and Cadet Water Polo World Championships, held every two years
• Diving: World Junior Diving Championships, held every two years
• Artistic swimming: World Junior Artistic Swimming Championships, held every two years
• Open water swimming: World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships, held every two years.

Sport name changes

In 2017, the group that oversees water sports changed the name of synchronised swimming to Artistic Swimming. This change shows that the sport now includes more than just synchronization. It also includes choreography and artistic expression.

Bans

World Aquatics has suspended athletes who broke rules about fair competition. For example, some athletes from Lithuania and Russia were not allowed to compete for several years.

Because of the conflict in Ukraine, athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus were not allowed to take part in World Aquatics events until the end of 2022. They could not wear their country’s colors, represent their country, or have their national anthem played if they won. In 2023, World Aquatics allowed some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutral athletes. By April 2026, they were allowed to compete with their flags and anthems again, and Russia and Belarus were fully welcomed back into the organization.

Controversies

Transgender athlete restrictions

In June 2022, World Aquatics made a decision about who can compete in men's and women's swimming races. They decided that transgender women could not compete in women's professional swimming unless they met certain conditions. This decision was not liked by many people who support equal treatment for everyone.

Vice President Zhou Jihong

In May 2022, there were some problems with a leader of World Aquatics named Zhou Jihong. She was said to have spoken badly to a judge from New Zealand during the 2020 Summer Olympics. This made many people upset, and she had to write an apology letter.

Soul Cap

In 2021, World Aquatics was asked to let swimmers use a special kind of swimming cap called the Soul Cap, made for people with natural Black hair. At first, they said no because the caps did not fit well. But after many people said this was unfair, World Aquatics changed their mind and allowed the Soul Caps to be used in their events starting in 2022.

Doping

In 2024, there were concerns about some Chinese swimmers possibly using special substances to improve their performance before the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. This made people lose trust in World Aquatics, and the group's leader had to talk to U.S. authorities about what happened.