World Aquatics today announced the award of the World Aquatics Championships 2025 to Singapore. The World Aquatics Championships – the premier international aquatics event – brings together the six aquatic sports of swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving. With dates to be defined, the 2025 event will be staged in close cooperation with the Singapore Swimming Association and Sport Singapore, a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth.
“World Aquatics could not be happier to know that the hosting of our main event for 2025 is in such good hands, thanks to the team here in Singapore,” said World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam. “Singapore has everything we hope to share with our athletes: world-class facilities, proven experience of hosting events of the highest quality, and a comprehensive approach to aquatic sports that runs from elite level to the community. With a back-to-back-to-back trio of World Aquatics Championships in Asia – following Fukuoka this year and Doha in 2024 – the continent is demonstrating exceptional commitment and ability when it comes to welcoming the world’s best aquatic athletes.”
Singapore has demonstrated its excellence in hosting top-level sports events, including holding World Cups in five of the six aquatics sports and the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships.
“As you might expect from an island nation, Singapore has a proud tradition of aquatic sports. Our whole community is excited about the opportunities that will come from bringing the world’s best aquatics athletes to Singapore: from the teams that have represented us with honor at the Olympic Games and the World Aquatics Championships to the young people training in our clubs,” said Singapore Swimming Association President Mark Chay.
Over 2,500 athletes are expected to participate in the World Aquatics Championships 2025, representing World Aquatics’ 209 national member federations.
Competition venues will include the Singapore Sports Hub, a world-class complex that includes the National Stadium, the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and the OCBC Aquatic Centre. The OCBC Aquatic Centre features two 50m pools and a diving facility.
Commenting on Singapore being selected as the first Southeast Asian city to host the Championships in 2025, Sport Singapore Chief Executive Officer Lim Teck Yin said: “As a global blue-ribbon event, the World Aquatics Championships 2025 is an exciting boost for Singapore aquatics. It will not only benefit sports in Singapore, but also activate the athletes, fans, and the industry in Southeast Asia through engagement opportunities leading up to the event and the championships themselves. We will certainly be looking to the industry for innovative tech solutions for event operations and fan engagement in particular. The support from local stakeholders will also be a key success factor for the event and its legacy. Singapore looks forward to welcoming the world’s best aquatic athletes in 2025 and we will be cheering on Team Singapore as they compete for glory on home ground.”
Singapore Tourism Board’s Chief Executive Keith Tan added: “We are thrilled to welcome the world’s best aquatics athletes to Singapore in 2025. Being selected as the host city for the biggest aquatics tournament in the world reinforces Singapore’s position as a leading sports and lifestyle destination in the region. We look forward to welcoming the athletes and their fans and friends to Singapore.”
The athlete-centric approach taken by World Aquatics, the Singapore Swimming Association, and Sport Singapore, saw past, present, and future top aquatics athletes join the announcement.
“I’ve been coming since I was 14 years old to the Singapore Sports School and spoke to students about the challenges and possibilities of making sport a big part of their lives,” said Australian legend Ian Thorpe. “So it’s always been clear to me that Singapore is a special place, with a special approach to maximizing sport’s potential to change lives for the better. To be here today and see what some of those students have achieved over the last decade is a great honor. I’m thrilled to know that some athletes will now have the chance to pass on what they have learned to a new generation, as part of hosting World Aquatics’ most important event.”
Press release from World Aquatics
