World Aquatics Swimming World Cup to Visit Asia for 2024 Swing
The World Aquatics Swimming World Cup will confine itself to Asian venues for the 2024 season, all to be held in the fall following the Paris Olympics.
The three-city tour will include meets in Shanghai, China; Incheon, South Korea; and Singapore in late October and November next year. The events will serve as qualifiers for the 2024 World Short-Course Championships, to be held in Budapest on dates in December that are still to be announced.
The 2024 World Cup will take place in:
- Shanghai, Oct. 18-20
- Incheon, Oct. 24-26
- Singapore, Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Shanghai has been a frequent stop for World Aquatics/FINA through the years. It’s hosted the World Cup five times in addition to the 2006 World Short Course Championships and the 2011 World Championships. It also offers Chinese audiences an up-close look at an ascendant generation of Chinese stars, including triple Worlds gold medalist Qin Haiyang.
“I had my mind set on winning races and setting World Cup Records,” Qin said in a press release. “I gained greater experience racing by racing on the Swimming World Cup. I am pleased with my time on the tour and the times I posted in the pool. I’ll be back.”
“With rising Chinese talents across the strokes, having the Swimming World Cup come back to Shanghai will not only allow our athletes to chase top performances in front of packed arenas of passionate fans, but they will also help inspire the upcoming generations of swimmers,” China Swimming Federation President Zhou Jihong said. “We couldn’t be more pleased to give athletes like Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei, Pan Zhanle and all the international swimmers the chance to compete in Shanghai. It’s going to be a beautiful event.”
Incheon has most recently hosted the Asian Games in 2014, while FINA brought its 2019 World Champions to Gwangju.
Singapore has hosted 13 World Cup events since 2007. It will host the World Championships in 2025.
“With our World Cups, we are always looking for the right number of experienced hosts while also bringing our sports events to new cities,” World Aquatics president Husain Al Musallam said. “While Incheon is a first-time World Aquatics host, Korea has demonstrated excellence in delivering a top experience in major sports events.”