PR 69 - SWC 2015: Moscow ready to host first meet on August 11-12

During a press conference held today in Kazan, Russia, FINA launched the 2015 FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup with the first leg of the series set to resume on August 11-12 in Moscow, Russia.

FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione, FINA Exectuve Director Cornel Marculescu, Russian Swimming Federation President Vladimir Salnikov, and athletes Kirill Prigoda (RUS) and Giacomo  Perez-Dortona (FRA) were among the speakers today.

Dr. Julio Maglione highlighted the key role the FINA/airweave SWC occupies in the swimming calendar. The overall prize money available for this event has significantly increased to further attract the athletes and enhance the event’s visibility in the media.

He declared: “The 2015 edition of this World Cup will comprise several novelties: it will be exclusively held in 50m-pool; all the legs will be qualifying events for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio; and a new organiser, Paris-Chartres, in France, will make this circuit even more attractive. FINA is strongly engaged in the promotion of Swimming outside the frame of its main annual rendezvous, the World Championships, or Olympic Games. That is why the circuit of the World Cup is so important for us: it allows our Stars to shine on more occasions, it gives additional visibility on TV for this great Sport, and it constitutes a privileged event for the establishment of outstanding performances.”

FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu also emphasised the development of the sport: "We have seen how Swimming has reached unprecedented levels of excellence here in Kazan. We want this positive image to remain more time on TV screens after the conclusion of the FINA World Championships and to show the world the value of our Sport. That is why this World Cup is so important for us - it keeps our sport in the headlines, thanks to the participation of our big stars and the outstanding performances they produce."

As the Moscow leg is quite close to the end of the outstanding FINA World Championships here in Kazan, the Russian organisers were present to launch the Series.

Russian Swimming Federation President and four-time Olympic champion Vladimir Salnikov said: "The Russian Swimming Federation is very honoured and happy to host once more a leg of the Swimming World Cup. We will have great athletes competing there and I am sure that we will also have a good level of attendance, as Russian people is very fan of Sport."
Athletes also reaffirmed their satisfaction regarding their participation in the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup: "For us, the athletes, the change from 25m to 50m-pool is very important as it gives us one more opportunity to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. I am very happy to be here in Kazan and I am also very excited to be present in Moscow. I think the level of competition will be very high" Russian athlete Kirill Prigoda said.

Giacomo Perez D'Ortona from France also very optimistic:  "I am very happy to be here in Kazan. The facilities are amazing. I think is very important for the World Cup to remain in Europe and I look forward to participating in Moscow and Paris-Chartres, which will be hosting this competition for the first time. I hope to perform better than here. The fact that the competition is in 50m-pool is very interesting, as it will allow us to already start this last season before the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio."

The FINA/airweave SWC, divided into three clusters, will then head to Paris-Chartres for the second leg of the meet and will conclude in Dubai (UAE) in November.

2015 FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup Calendar: