FINA has confirmed the swimming section will take place in the first week of the World Championships in Budapest in June.
The global meet was announced last month following the postponement of the Fukuoka worlds because of the ongoing pandemic.
Given the Commonwealth Games and European Championships are also taking place in July and August respectively, it meant two major meets in less than eight weeks for some nations and three for the British team.
That caused some raised eyebrows at British Swimming but FINA have now said the swimming will take place during the first eight days rather than the customary second half of the event meaning the pool section will run from 18-25 June with diving in the second week.
Following worlds, the Commonwealth Games – featuring the likes of the British home nations, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – take place in Birmingham, England, from 29 July-3 August.
The pool programme at the European Championships in Rome runs from 11-17 August, followed by open water which runs through until 21 meaning there is a little under nine weeks from the start of Budapest worlds and the conclusion of the pool events at the continental showcase.
A release from FINA read:
“FINA and event organisers placed special consideration for the training and recovery challenges of a busy 2022 aquatics calendar and decided to have swimming take place during the first eight days of the event, rather than the customary second half of the event.”
Duna Arena To Witness History Once More
There will be 74 medal events taking place in five aquatics disciplines – swimming, artistic swimming, open water, diving and water polo.
The Duna Arena will host the swimming and diving, five years after a memorable 2017 World Championships which featured a knowledgeable, passionate crowd and spectacular light shows.
Adam Peaty & Cameron van der Burgh: Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
With Olympic champion Adam Peaty committing to the competition, it means a return to the pool where he set the 50m breaststroke world record of 26.10 in the heats before further lowering it to 25.95 in the final.
Arno Kamminga was in heat nine with Peaty but did not progress from a three-man swim-off nor did he reach the 100br final.
Now the pair will be reunited with the Netherlands swimmer only the second man to go through the 58sec barrier over two lengths and the Olympic silver medallist behind Peaty.
Kamminga will face Peaty at worlds and Europeans and told Swimming World last month – “it’s going to be epic!”
The arena on the banks of the River Danube was also where Kristof Milak won his first senior medal with 100 fly silver while Katinka Hosszu won the third of her four world 200 and 400IM doubles.
All pool events will take place in existing venues so for the first time since Perth 1998, there will be no use of temporary pools with a source close to the organising committee emphasising that sustainability and budgeting is key.
The Duna Arena, with a capacity of 4500, will host the swimming and diving with Margaret Island – venue for the 2006 and 2010 European Championships – staging the artistic swimming.
The Szechy pool is an outdoor venue and the only pool – apart from Duna Arena – with a depth of 3m.
The prelims are going to run parallel with swimming heats, finals are to be held between the heats and the swimming finals.
For the first time, water polo prelims will be played in four different cities with only two games per venue, which is beneficial for scheduling.
Katinka Hosszu: Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
The venues for the first week of prelims are Margaret Island, Szeged, Sopron and Debrecen with the knockout games (1-8) at Margaret Island and 9-16 in Szeged.
The Hungarian teams will play at the Alfréd Hajós pool on Margaret Island, the same as in 2017, while Szeged will host the group featuring Serbia given its proximity to the border.
Sopron is on the western border, a resort-like area close to the Alps and Debrecen is Hungary’s second largest city with a rich cultural heritage – the pool was site of the 2007 short-course Europeans and the 2012 long-course swimming Europeans.
Open water will take place at Lake Lupa, which hosted last year’s European Championships.
A 15-minute drive from Budapest, it is a former gravel mine, with 3-5m depth, fine water quality and white sandy beaches.
So are Russians invited to compete in Budapest?
Hope not. FINA should follow IOC and ban Russian swimmers, as LEN announced yesterday.