Paris (AFP)
The next Swimming Worlds, scheduled for summer 2021 in Japan, are postponed to May 2022, due to the postponement of one year of the Tokyo Olympics-2020 caused by the coronavirus pandemic, announces the International Swimming Federation (Fina ) in a press release on Monday.
The 2021 World Championships were to be held in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu in the south of the archipelago, where they will finally take place from May 13 to 29, 2022, says Fina.
The competition, which brings together basin, open water, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo races, was initially scheduled from July 16 to August 1, 2021. But the postponement of the Tokyo Games from July 23 to August 8, 2021, s collided with it.
"After having contacted the concerned stakeholders and having received their feedback, we have no doubt that the decision taken will offer the best possible conditions to all the participants in these championships," said Fina president Julio Maglione of Uruguay, comments reported in the press release.
"In this unprecedented period of uncertainty, Fina hopes that the announcement of these dates will bring clarity to organize itself for all those concerned," he added.
Even before the postponement of the Olympics-2020, then immediately after, at the end of March, the Fina had indicated that it was studying with its partners the question of the reprogramming of its flagship competition.
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