World Aquatics President Finish of Year Message

Dear World Aquatics household,

It is with nice satisfaction that we glance again on what has been a massively profitable 12 months for World Aquatics.

Across the world, the excellent performances of athletes on the elite degree, the dedication of coaches, and the professionalism of officers, workers and volunteers have formed an unimaginable 2025 for aquatic sports activities. Your work underpins the continued power and improvement of aquatics worldwide.

One of the defining highlights of the 12 months was the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025. Hosted for the primary time in Southeast Asia, the occasion welcomed report ranges of participation with greater than 2,400 athletes from 203 nations, alongside the World Aquatics Refugee Team, and featured 77 medal occasions within the six aquatic sports activities.

We witnessed unforgettable moments all through the World Aquatics Championships. Swimmers delivered extraordinary performances, setting three World Records, 15 Championship Records, and 28 Continental Records. Divers from world wide showcased unimaginable talent and precision, whereas Water Polo followers have been handled to thrilling, fiercely contested matches. We additionally witnessed dramatic Open Water Swimming races, gorgeous Artistic Swimming performances, and astonishing High Diving shows.

For the primary time ever, the World Aquatics Masters Championships overlapped with the elite World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, which created a singular celebration of aquatic sports activities. Approximately 6,000 individuals from a whole bunch of golf equipment world wide competed throughout 657 medal occasions, the oldest aged 97. In swimming alone, 30 Masters World Records and 129 Masters Championship Records have been set because the success continued from the elite occasion.

Singapore 2025 will depart a strong legacy for aquatics within the area, having captured the creativeness of the host nation with greater than 500,000 Singaporeans taking part in Championships-related actions.

We wish to prolong our heartfelt due to our hosts in Singapore, the hundreds of volunteers, and everybody who performed an element in delivering these distinctive occasions.

We additionally noticed sensible performances throughout all of our World Cup occasions, together with the three Swimming World Cup stops in Carmel (USA), Westmont (USA) and Toronto (CAN) the place there have been 13 World Records, 30 World Cup Records and a number of Continental Records set. We have been moreover handled to a few Diving World Cup stops, 9 World Aquatics Diving Recognised Events,  two Water Polo World Cup Division bouts and Finals, a U20 Water Polo World Championships for each women and men, 4 Artistic Swimming World Cup stops, the World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships, 4 Open Water Swimming World Cup stops and the High Diving World Cup within the spectacular setting of Porto Flavia (ITA).

Beyond competitors, World Aquatics stays firmly dedicated to the event of aquatic sports activities and the help of our world neighborhood. The AQUA Scholarship Programme continues to offer very important alternatives, with greater than 120 athletes enrolled for the 2025–2026 version and the brand new World Aquatics Centre of Excellence opened in Bahrain. For the 2025-2026 interval, 30 swimmers additionally joined the Stipendium Hungaricum Sports Scholarship Programme in Budapest, additional strengthening our pathways for athlete improvement each on and off the sphere of play.

Athletes are central to World Aquatics’ actions, and we have been honoured to host the inaugural “From Podiums to Possibilities” Athletes’ Career Summit in December 2025, bringing collectively 18 elite athletes from all aquatic sports activities and distinguished audio system from sport, enterprise and management. This supplied a protected atmosphere for athletes to replicate overtly, be taught from friends and mentors, and discover new alternatives to assist them to navigate their post-athletic careers.

World Aquatics launched the Coaches’ Certification Programme and a brand new Technical Officials’ pathway in 2025, designed to raise requirements and consistency worldwide. The Coaches’ Certification Programme is underway with the primary swimming age group teaching course happening in Budapest in November, whereas the primary programs for technical officers will start in 2026.

We additionally unveiled the Blueprint, World Aquatics’ sustainability technique which gives a transparent framework to information our organisation by means of to 2030 and ship tangible environmental and social influence. The Discover Water programme continues to be rolled out, utilizing our distinctive platform to advertise water security and aquatic participation world wide.

The World Aquatics Support Programme in the meantime continues to profit aquatic sports activities in additional than 180 nations, investing greater than USD 4.8 million globally.

These actions are pushed by our ongoing business success, and we wish to sincerely thank our Global Partners and Global Suppliers for his or her help and shared dedication to the expansion of aquatic sports activities.

Looking forward, we’re delighted to be returning to our common competitors cycle following the extended influence of Covid-19 on our calendar. The 2026 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing will likely be a significant spotlight of subsequent 12 months, and we’re already getting ready for what guarantees to be an excellent World Aquatics Championships in Budapest in 2027.

We may also look ahead with nice pleasure to the LA28 Olympic Games, with nice progress made on delivering a record-breaking version for aquatic sports activities. With 55 aquatics medals at LA28, this would be the most ever for any sport at an Olympic Games. This follows the IOC’s settlement to incorporate six new dash medal occasions in Swimming, and the growth of the Women’s Water Polo Tournament to 12 groups in a landmark second for gender parity. Swimming will take centre stage in the course of the closing week of the Games, with the ultimate session held simply earlier than the Closing Ceremony, and it will contribute to maintaining aquatics on the coronary heart of the Games in Los Angeles.

Thank you to each member of the World Aquatics household to your continued dedication all through 2025, and we want you and your family members a wholesome and completely happy New Year.

Yours sincerely,

Husain Al Musallam

President, World Aquatics