World Aquatics Swimming World Cup

Swimming World Cup
StatusActive
GenreSports event
DateMidyear
FrequencyAnnual
Inaugurated1988
Most recent
2025
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).

History

In 1979, FINA (now known as World Aquatics) launched the Swimming World Cup, the first edition was held in Tokyo with multiple winners.

Since 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] From this edition onwards, the SWC will be held on one continent, with different cities in each country.

Events

Traditionally the events are the same for all meets but the competition order may vary, although this has varied from the 2021 resumption of the meet. All events are swum prelims/finals, with the exception of the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle which are swum as timed finals (fastest heat in the finals session). The meets are held over two or three days, with preliminary heats in the morning and finals in the evening. A noted exception to this style are the meets held in Brazil, where prelims have been in the evening with finals the following morning.

On most years, the races are held in short course pools, the exception recently being the season leading up to an Olympic year where events are swum in long course venues.

Current 2023 series events (to be swum in 50m pools):

  • Freestyle: 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500
  • Backstroke: 50, 100 and 200
  • Breaststroke: 50, 100 and 200
  • Butterfly: 50, 100 and 200
  • Individual medley: 200, and 400
  • Relays: 4 × 100 m freestyle (men and women), 4 x 200m freestyle (men and women), 4 × 100 m medley (men, women and mixed)[7][8][9]

An 'open' category was created in 2023 after World Aquatics announced that trans women were banned from competing in the women's category if they had "experienced any part of male puberty beyond tanner stage two, or before [the] age [of] 12, whichever is later". The category was shelved after receiving "no entries".[4][5][6][10]

Winners

Source:[11]

One stage in 1979.[12][13]

Season Name Nationality
1988–89
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1989–90
menWinners in six events
womenWinners in six events
1991
menWinners in six events[15]
womenWinners in six events[15]
1991–92
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1993
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1994
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1995
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1996
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1997
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1998
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1998–99
menWinners in six events[14]
womenWinners in six events[14]
1999–2000
menWinners in 17 events[14]
womenWinners in 17 events[14]
2000–01
menWinners in 13 events[14]
womenWinners in 11 events[14]
2001–02
menEd Moses United States
womenMartina Moravcová Slovakia
2002–03
menThomas Rupprath Germany
womenAlison Sheppard Great Britain
2003–04
menEd Moses (2) United States
womenMartina Moravcová (2) Slovakia (2)
2004–05
menRyk Neethling South Africa
womenAnna-Karin Kammerling Sweden
2005–06
menRyk Neethling (2) South Africa
womenTherese Alshammar Sweden
2007
menRandall Bal United States
womenTherese Alshammar Sweden
2008
menCameron van der Burgh South Africa
womenMarieke Guehrer Australia
2009
menCameron van der Burgh South Africa
womenJessica Hardy United States
2010
menThiago Pereira Brazil
womenTherese Alshammar Sweden
2011
menChad le Clos South Africa
womenTherese Alshammar (4) Sweden
2012
menKenneth To Australia
womenKatinka Hosszú Hungary
2013
menChad le Clos South Africa
womenKatinka Hosszú Hungary
2014
menChad le Clos South Africa
womenKatinka Hosszú Hungary
2015
menCameron van der Burgh (3) South Africa
womenKatinka Hosszú Hungary
2016
menVladimir Morozov Russia
womenKatinka Hosszú (5) Hungary
2017
menChad le Clos (4) South Africa
womenSarah Sjöström Sweden
2018
menVladimir Morozov Russia
womenSarah Sjöström (2) Sweden (7)
2019
menVladimir Morozov (3) Russia (3)
womenCate Campbell Australia
2021[16][17]
menMatthew Sates South Africa (10)
womenEmma McKeon Australia
2022
menDylan Carter Trinidad and Tobago
womenBeata Nelson United States
2023
menQin Haiyang China
womenKaylee McKeown Australia (5)
2024
menLéon Marchand France
womenKate Douglass United States
2025
menHubert Kós Hungary (6)
womenKate Douglass (2) United States (7)

Most wins

As of 21 November 2022[18]
  • Active swimmers*
  • r = relays
No. Men Country Wins Women Country Wins
1 Chad le Clos South Africa 151* Katinka Hosszú Hungary 305 + 3(r)*[19]
2 Vladimir Morozov Russia 109 + 14(r)* Martina Moravcová Slovakia 105
3 Roland Schoeman South Africa 64 Therese Alshammar Sweden 93
4 Cameron van der Burgh South Africa 59 Alia Atkinson Jamaica 73
5 Daiya Seto Japan 55* Sarah Sjöström Sweden 72*
6 Randall Bal United States 54 Yana Klochkova Ukraine 60
7 Mark Foster United Kingdom 53 Mette Jacobsen Denmark 52
8 Christian Keller Germany 53 Antje Buschschulte Germany 52
9 Ryk Neethling South Africa 43 Sandra Voelker Germany 45
10 Alexander Popov Russia 42 Franziska Van Almsick Germany 42

Venues

CountryCity 88

89

89

90

91 91

92

93 94 95 96 97 98 98

99

99

00

00

01

01

02

02

03

03

04

04

05

05

06

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 Total
 Australia Hobart●● 2
Melbourne●●●●● 5
Sydney●●●●●● 6
 Brazil Belo Horizonte● Archived 6 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine●●●● 5
Rio de Janeiro●●●●●●●● 7
 Canada Edmonton●●●● 4
Montreal●● 2
Toronto● ●● 3
Victoria● 1
 China Beijing●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● 15
Jinan● 1
Shanghai●●●●● ●6
 Finland Espoo●●● 3
 France Chartres-Paris●● 2
Paris●●●●●●● ●●●●●●● 14
 Germany Berlin●[20]●[20]●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ● 22
Bonn●●●● 5
Gelsenkirchen●●●●●●● 7
Rostock● 1
Great Britain Glasgow● 1
Leicester●● 2
London● 1
Sheffield●●●●●●●●● 9
 Greece Athens ● 1
 Hong Kong Hong Kong●●●●●●●●●●● 11
 Hungary Budapest●●● ● 4
 Italy Desenzano●● 2
Imperia●●●●●●● 7
Milan●●● 3
Saint-Vincent● 1
Venice● 1
 Japan Tokyo●●●●●●●●● ● 10
 Netherlands Eindhoven●●● 3
 Qatar Doha●●●●●●●●● 9
 Russia Moscow●●●●●●●●●●●●●● 14
Saint Petersburg●[21]● 2
Kazan●●● 3
 Singapore Singapore●●●●●●●●●●●●● ● 13
 South Africa Durban●●●●●● 6
 South Korea Daejon●●● 3
Incheon ● 1
 Spain Palma de Mallorca● 1
 Sweden Gothenburg●●● 3
Malmö●●●●●●●●●● 10
Stockholm●●●●●●●●●●●● 12
 United Arab Emirates Dubai●●●●●● 6
 United States Carmel, IN ●1
College Station, TX● 1
Indianapolis, IN● ● 2
New York, NY (East Meadow)●●●●● 5
Orlando, FL● 1
Washington, D.C.●● 2
Westmont, IL ●1
Total887877788912121097888775778878987 743333

References

  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. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "World Aquatics Debuts Open Category at Berlin Swimming World Cup 2023". World Aquatics. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 "No entries received for new 'open category' in World Cup meet". Reuters. 3 October 2023.
  5. 1 2 "No 'open category' entries at WC swimming event". ESPN.com. 3 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Plans to allow for transgender swimmers at World Cup meet scrapped due to no entries". CBC.ca. 3 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Competition Info | FINA Official". World Aquatics. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Competition Info | FINA Official". World Aquatics. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Competition Info | FINA Official". World Aquatics. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Noyce, Eleanor (4 October 2023). "Not one person signed up for the 'open' category at the Swimming World Cup". PinkNews. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "World Aquatics".
  12. ↑ "InterSportStats".
  13. ↑ "InterSportStats".
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "FINA Swimming World cup: Golden Book" (PDF). Fina.org. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  15. 1 2 Moravcova Tops Final FINA World Cup Rankings; Balcerzak is Top American – January 29, 2001 Archived April 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Swimming World Magazine: published 2001-01-29; retrieved 2009-06-13.
  16. ↑ Kamardina, Olga (30 October 2021). "Sates and McKeon topped overall ranking". FINA. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Dornan, Ben (31 October 2021). "McKeon, Sates, Toussaint, Shields Earn Over $100K From FINA 2021 World Cup". SwimSwam. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ↑ "Katinka Hosszu Wraps up 300th World Cup Gold with 200 Fly Win in Kazan". November 2019.
  20. 1 2 as East Berlin
  21. ↑ as Leningrad