World Aquatics Swimming World Cup

Swimming World Cup
StatusActive
GenreSports event
Date(s)Midyear
FrequencyAnnual
Inaugurated1988
Most recent2023
Organised byWorld Aquatics
WebsiteWorld Aquatics
Marine Messe Hall A, Swimming & Artistic Swimming Venue, Fukuoka
Marine Messe Hall A, Swimming & Artistic Swimming Venue, Fukuoka, 2023.
The venue for the FINA Swimming World Cup in Eindhoven before start of the event.

The World Aquatics Swimming World Cup (formerly known as the FINA Swimming World Cup) is an international series of swimming meets organized by World Aquatics (the international governing body formerly known as FINA). Launched in 1988, the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup is staged between August and November every year and attracts a high level of athletes due to the considerable prize money on offer. The event is traditionally held in short course (25m pool) format, with a switch to long course (50m pool) format in pre-Olympics years.

Prior to the COVID hiatus in 2020 the event was being held in three clusters, totaling seven three day meets across seven different locations with prize money reaching US$2.5 million.[1] The event resumed in 2021 as four meets each of three days duration, and the 2023 edition was staged as three meets each of three days duration.

The event is popular with prominent swimmers due to the prize money on offer. In 2022, a total of US$1.2 million was awarded. For each meet the top 20 male and female athletes shared US$224,000 prize money ($112,000 per gender). At the end of the meet series an additional US$262,000 per gender was awarded to the top eight men and women athletes based on their overall ranking using a point score incorporating placings and performance.[2]

The 2023 event is notable for a number of reasons including a switch to long course (50m) format as a pre-Olympics year event, the event acting as a qualifying meet for both the forthcoming World Aquatics Championships in 2024 and Olympic Games in 2024, and the introduction of an "open" category in 50m and 100m events for transgender swimmers.[3] The "open" category however was shelved as there were no entries.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ "FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 | fina.org - Official FINA website". Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Swimming World Cup 2022 - Prize money". World Aquatics. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. ^ "World Aquatics Debuts Open Category at Berlin Swimming World Cup 2023". World Aquatics. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. ^ "No entries received for new 'open category' in World Cup meet". Reuters. 3 October 2023.
  5. ^ "No 'open category' entries at WC swimming event". ESPN.com. 3 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Plans to allow for transgender swimmers at World Cup meet scrapped due to no entries". CBC.ca. 3 October 2023.