The2023 World Aquatics Championships,the 20th edition of theWorld Aquatics Championships,were held inFukuoka,Japan,from 14 to 30 July 2023. Originally scheduled to be held in 2021 as the 19th championships, the championships were postponed until May 2022 in response to the rescheduling of the2020 Summer Olympicsin Tokyo to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[1]The event was pushed back a second time to 2023 due to ongoingtravel restrictionsandsafety measures in place in Japan.[2]In its place,Budapesthosted the19th Championshipsfrom 18 June to 3 July 2022, while theoriginally scheduled 2023 championshipsinDoha,Qatar,were moved to 2024.
| 20th World Aquatics Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host city | Fukuoka, Japan |
| Date(s) | 14–30 July 2023 |
| Venue(s) | 3 |
| Nations participating | 195 |
| Athletes participating | 2,392 |
| Officially opened by | Fumihito |
| Officially closed by | Husain Al-Musallam |
It was the second time Fukuoka hosted the event having previously held the 9thWorld Aquatics Championshipsin 2001, with South Africa'sRoland Schoeman(swimming) and Brazil-Spain'sFelipe Perrone(water polo) the only two athletes to compete in both the 2001 and 2023 championships.[3]
The championships included 2,392 athletes competing from 192 member federations. While originally listed as 195 nations competing, due to the status of their member federation with World Aquatics, athletes from both the Philippines and Kenya were required to compete under the banner 'Suspended Member Federation', while two athletes of Syria competed under the banner 'World Aquatics Refugee Team'. World Aquatics ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus remained in effect for these championships.[4]
These championships were the first edition of the championships to be held under the newWorld Aquaticsbranding following the renaming of FINA (French:Fédération Internationale de Natation) in December 2022.[5]
Host selection
editThe competition was originally to be held inBudapest,Hungary,in the summer of 2021.[6]This was announced on 19 July 2013, at the biennial General Congress ofWorld Aquatics(then FINA) inBarcelona,the host-city of the2013 World Aquatics Championships.
However, in March 2015, it was announced that Budapest would instead host the2017 Championships,afterGuadalajara,Mexico,pulled out from the organization of the championships for financial reasons. A new bidding procedure was opened for both the 2021 and 2023 events.[7][8]
On 9 June 2015, World Aquatics (then FINA) reported it had received expressions of interest for the 2021 and 2023 FINA World Championships from Argentina, Australia (Melbourne or Sydney), China (Wuhan or Nanjing), Germany (two potential cities), Japan, Turkey and Qatar. On 30 June 2015, an information meeting was organised for the nations and cities which had shown interest in bidding.[9]This meeting was attended by representatives of cities from six countries:Abu Dhabi(United Arab Emirates),Buenos Aires(Argentina),Istanbul(Turkey),Nanjing(China),Fukuoka(Japan),Doha(Qatar).[10]Bidding cities were then asked to present FINA with an executed Host City Agreement by October 26, 2015, and to make a formal presentation to the FINA Bureau on November 8, 2015. Australia and Germany were the first two countries to quit the bidding race and were followed by Argentina. Two others, Turkey and United Arab Emirates, had also shown interest, but withdrew before the presentation stage.[11]With all other interested cities formerly withdrawing, on October 2, 2015, FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu confirmed there were three final bidders:Nanjing(China),Fukuoka(Japan), andDoha(Qatar).[12]
On 31 January 2016, each of the bids were presented in a formal presentation at the FINA Bureau meeting in Budapest. After a vote, FINA announced Fukuoka as 2021 hosts and Doha as 2023 hosts.[13]
In a press release issued on the same day, FINA PresidentJulio Maglionestated: “Today we were presented three extraordinary bids fulfilling all requirements and having great facilities. Both winning cities, Fukuoka and Doha, are strong partners of FINA and will offer optimal conditions for the organisation of these Championships. There is a very strong commitment from the local authorities to welcome this event in their respective dynamic metropolis.”[14]
Venues
editThe Fukuoka championships had three main venue precincts. Swimming, artistic swimming, the closing ceremony, and the international broadcast center, were all based at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A (part of theFukuoka Convention Center), built for the1995 Summer Universiadeand also used during the2001 World Aquatics Championships.[15]Water polo events were based at the newly built Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall B. The opening ceremony was held at Boat Race Fukuoka in Fukuoka City.[16]
- Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A(swimming, artistic swimming, closing ceremony)
- Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall B(water polo)
- Fukuoka Prefectural Pool (diving)
- Seaside Momochi Beach Park (open water swimming, high diving)
- Boat Race Fukuoka (opening ceremony)
Schedule
editA total of 75 medal events were held across six disciplines. The program returned to the traditional schedule with artistic swimming, diving, and open water swimming staged during week one, swimming and high diving in week two, and water polo matches across both weeks.[17][18]
| ● | Opening ceremony | ● | Other competitions | ● | Finals | ● | Closing ceremony | M | Men's matches | W | Women's matches |
| July | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies | ● | ● | - | |||||||||||||||
| Swimming | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 42 | |||||||||
| Open water swimming | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Artistic swimming | ● | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||
| Diving | ● | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | ||||||||
| High diving | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Water polo | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | 2 | |||
| Total | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 75 |
| Cumulative Total | 0 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 34 | 38 | 43 | 49 | 55 | 61 | 68 | 75 | 75 |
Medal table
edit*Host nation (Japan)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | 20 | 8 | 12 | 40 |
| 2 |  Australia | 15 | 9 | 6 | 30 |
| 3 |  United States | 7 | 22 | 15 | 44 |
| 4 |  Japan* | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 5 |  France | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| 6 |  Germany | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 |  Spain | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 8 |  Italy | 2 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 9 |  Great Britain | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 10 |  Canada | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 11 |  Hungary | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 |  Tunisia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 |  Lithuania | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Sweden | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 |  Netherlands | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 16 |  Austria | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 |  Romania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 19 |  Mexico | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 20 |  Ukraine | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 |  Colombia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Greece | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Hong Kong | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 26 |  Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (30 entries) | 75 | 77 | 74 | 226 | |
Participating countries
edit
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"New dates set for world swim championships: May 13-19, 2022".AP NEWS.4 May 2020.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^"FINA postpones Fukuoka-hosted 2022 World Championships because of COVID-19".24 January 2022.Retrieved24 January2022.
- ^Zaccardi, Nick (31 January 2016)."Fukuoka, Doha chosen as World Aquatics Championships hosts".NBC Sports.Retrieved1 February2016.
- ^"PRESS RELEASE | World Aquatics Bureau meets, discusses the status of athletes from Russia and Belarus".World Aquatics.5 April 2023.Retrieved16 September2023.
- ^"FINA becomes World Aquatics as new brand launched".World Aquatics.12 December 2022.Retrieved16 September2023.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Gwangju, Budapest win right to host worlds".Reuters.19 July 2013.Retrieved31 August2015.
- ^"Budapest (HUN) to host FINA World Championships in 2017".World Aquatics.11 March 2015.Retrieved31 August2015.
- ^"Budapest to host 2017 rather than 2021 World Aquatics Championships".Inside the Games.11 March 2015.Retrieved31 August2015.
- ^"FINA encouraged by strong interest for its 2021 and 2023 World Championships".World Aquatics.9 June 2015.Retrieved30 June2015.
- ^"FINA World Championships 2021 & 2023: potential bidders meet in Lausanne".World Aquatics.30 June 2015.Retrieved12 July2015.
- ^"Qatar, China and Japan only bidders for world championships".SBS News.Retrieved16 September2023.
- ^"Qatar, China and Japan only bidders for world championships".SBS News.Retrieved16 September2023.
- ^Marsteller, Jason (31 January 2016)."FINA Names Fukuoka (2021), Doha (2023) Hosts for Future FINA World Championships".Swimming WorldMagazine.Retrieved26 March2023.
- ^Marsteller, Jason (31 January 2016)."FINA Names Fukuoka (2021), Doha (2023) Hosts for Future FINA World Championships".Swimming World News.Retrieved16 September2023.
- ^"Fukuoka 2023 Venues".Retrieved31 July2023.
- ^"Boat Race Fukuoka".
- ^Koos, Tonrin (13 January 2023)."World Aquatics announces the competition schedule for the World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023".World Aquatics.Retrieved17 January2023.
- ^"World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023"(PDF).Retrieved17 January2023.