Swimming New Zealand homepage

The start of something extraordinary

PR 108 - Competition officially begins at the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships in Windsor

The 13th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2016 Windsor (CAN) officially got underway in Windsor (CAN) today following a pre-competition press conference at the WFCU Centre.

More than 900 athletes from approximately 160 National Federations will compete for 46 gold medals in the six-day competition from December 6-11.

Athletes will compete in a temporary 25m pool, set up in place of the ice rink at the WFCU Centre, home to junior ice hockey team, the Windsor Spitfires.

Finals will begin each day at 18:30 local time with morning heats starting at 09:30.

Speaking at today’s opening press conference, FINA President Dr. Julio Maglione said:

“I am delighted to be here in the beautiful city of Windsor for the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships. I would like to thank Canada and the city of Windsor for such a warm welcome and their outstanding organisation. It is the first time for FINA in Windsor and we are very excited to be here. I believe we will have some very nice surprises and I am sure the stars will shine in the pool.”

Mayor Drew Dilkens, Chair of the 13 the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) said:

“We are very proud to welcome FINA to our city and host such a world-class event. This is the first time Windsor has hosted an international event of this size. We are very excited to welcome athletes from all over the world to compete in a unique arena, home to the Windsor Spitfires. It is exciting to have such athletes in the city. After many years of planning our dream is now a reality. It was fantastic to see 1,100 students from 15 schools turn out for the morning heats.”

More than 35,000 spectators are expected to visit the WFCU Centre over the course of the six-day competition.