SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
The second edition of the FINA World Aquatics Gala and Award Dinner "Soirée des Etoiles", an evening fully dedicated to pay tribute to the aquatic stars of the year, will be held in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday January 31, in the InterContinental Hotel overlooking the famous Danube river. Budapest came as a natural choice given that the city will be hosting the next FINA World Championships and FINA World Masters Championships in July-August 2017.
The best athletes of the year, to be announced on January 31, have been chosen through a selection process which looks at the points collected at the most important FINA events and according to the athletes' respective ranking. In swimming, World Records points also count.
The announcement of the best athletes of the year will be preceded, earlier in the day, by a press conference to reveal the FINA World Championships 2021 and 2023 hosts, following the first 2016 FINA Bureau meeting also in the Magyar capital.
FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione declared: "As the athletes are at the core of our activities, it is our great pleasure and honour to reward the greatest aquatic champions of 2015. The Gala Dinner and the Award ceremony is a way to pay tribute to their constant efforts and outstanding performances throughout the year. I look forward to a busy end of the month in Budapest!"
The "Soirée des Etoiles" was first held in Doha, Qatar, in December 2014, following the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) and the FINA World Aquatics Convention.
