The 2024 World Aquatics Championships, the 21st edition of the World Aquatics Championships, were held in Doha, Qatar, from 2 to 18 February 2024.[1] Originally scheduled to be held in November 2023, the championships were postponed until February 2024 in response to the rescheduling of the 20th edition of the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, from 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then again to 14 to 30 July 2023 due to travel restrictions and safety measures in place in Japan.[2][3]
| 21st World Aquatics Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host city | Doha, Qatar |
| Date(s) | 2–18 February |
| Venue(s) | 3 |
| Nations participating | 199 |
| Athletes participating | ~2,600 |
| Events | 75 in 6 sports |
| Officially opened by | Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Website | worldaquatics-doha2024.com |
It was the first time the World Aquatics Championships was staged in the Middle East. Doha staged the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2014, and has also staged nine legs of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series between 2012 and 2021.
The tournament featured the largest number of athletes in comparison with previous events, in which more than 2,600 participants hailing from 201 countries, in addition to the World Aquatics Refugee team, competed in 75 medals events.[4] However, the competition witnessed the notable absence of numerous top swimmers, with only six out of the 22 individual gold medalists from the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka taking part in the event in order to defend their last year's titles.[5] A number of swimmers and member federations have expressed concerns regarding the timing of these championships, given they take place just five months before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris;[6] in fact, this marks the first time a long-course world championship has been held in an Olympic year.[7]
Host selection edit
On 9 June 2015, World Aquatics (then FINA) reported it had received expressions of interest for the 2021 and 2023 FINA World Championships from Argentina, Australia (Melbourne or Sydney), China (Wuhan or Nanjing), Germany (two potential cities), Japan, Turkey and Qatar.
On 30 June 2015, an information meeting was organised for the nations and cities which had shown interest in bidding.[8] This meeting was attended by representatives of cities from six countries: Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Istanbul (Turkey), Nanjing (China), Fukuoka (Japan), Doha (Qatar).[9]
Bidding cities were then asked to present FINA with an executed Host City Agreement by 26 October 2015, and to make a formal presentation to the FINA Bureau on 8 November 2015. Australia and Germany were the first two countries to quit the bidding race and were followed by Argentina. Two others, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, had also shown interest, but withdrew before the presentation stage.[10]
With all other interested cities formerly withdrawing, on 2 October 2015, FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu confirmed there were three final bidders: Nanjing (China), Fukuoka (Japan), and Doha (Qatar).[10]
On 31 January 2016, each of the bids were presented in a formal presentation at the FINA Bureau meeting in Budapest. After a vote, FINA announced Fukuoka as 2021 hosts and Doha as 2023 hosts.[11]
In a press release issued on the same day, FINA President Julio Maglione stated: “Today we were presented three extraordinary bids fulfilling all requirements and having great facilities. Both winning cities, Fukuoka and Doha, are strong partners of FINA and will offer optimal conditions for the organisation of these Championships. There is a very strong commitment from the local authorities to welcome this event in their respective dynamic metropolis.”[11]
Secretary General of Qatar Olympic Committee, Thani Al Kuwari, who led the Doha delegation, stated: “The FINA Family has been many times in Doha and everyone knows our true passion for organising top-events. Sport is an important tool for the development of our youth and of our country. Hosting the FINA World Championships for the first time in Middle East will be a great way to develop Aquatics on a global scale.”[11]
Venues edit
Three venues hosted competition at the Championships. The Aspire Dome, built for the 2006 Asian Games, hosted swimming and artistic swimming in a temporary pool constructed in the indoor football stadium, and water polo in a temporary pool constructed in the velodrome. Hamad Aquatic Centre, within the Aspire Academy, will host diving competition and was also the host venue of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2014.[12] Open water swimming and high diving will take place at Old Doha Port.
- Aspire Dome (swimming, artistic swimming, water polo)
- Hamad Aquatic Centre (diving)
- Old Doha Port (open water swimming, high diving)
Symbols edit
Mascots edit
On 20 September 2023, the mascots were announced as: Nahim, a Qatari whale shark, and Mayfara, a coral.[13]
The press release from World Aquatics stated: “Nahim and Mayfara are intimately tied to Qatar’s heritage and represent the inclusivity of the World Aquatics Championships and its commitment to promoting sustainability. The whale shark is the world’s biggest fish and commonly found in the safety of Qatari waters. The gentle giant, Nahim, a funny, friendly, and fun character that will be on hand to entertain the crowds and ensure everyone is made to feel welcome in Doha. Mayfara reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the coral ecosystem with a family of clownfish living in her fringe anemone and a laid-back starfish on her forehead. A great team player, Mayfara will raise awareness about the importance of protecting our oceans and help to light up the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024.”[14]
Schedule edit
A total of 75 medal events will be held across six disciplines.[15][16]
| ● | Opening ceremony | ● | Preliminaries | ● | Finals | ● | Closing ceremony | M | Men's matches | W | Women's matches |
| February | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies | ● | ● | – | |||||||||||||||
| Swimming | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 42 | |||||||||
| Open water swimming | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Artistic swimming | ● | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||
| Diving | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | ||||||||
| High diving | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Water polo | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | W | M | 2 | |||
| Total | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 75 |
| Cumulative Total | 2 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 33 | 37 | 42 | 48 | 54 | 60 | 67 | 75 | 75 |
Medal table edit
* Host nation (Qatar)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | 23 | 8 | 2 | 33 |
| 2 |  United States | 9 | 6 | 8 | 23 |
| 3 |  Australia | 7 | 12 | 5 | 24 |
| 4 |  Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 5 |  Great Britain | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 |
| 6 |  Italy | 3 | 10 | 6 | 19 |
| 7 |  Canada | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| 8 |  South Korea | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 9 |  New Zealand | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
 Sweden | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 11 |  Portugal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 |  Ireland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 |  Spain | 1 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| 14 |  France | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 15 |  Germany | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 |  Mexico | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 17 |  Hungary | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 Japan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
 Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 20 |  Greece | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 22 |  Lithuania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 |  Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25 |  North Korea | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 |  Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 27 |  Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Israel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 30 |  Poland | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 31 |  Colombia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Egypt | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
 Neutral Independent Athletes[a] | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 34 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Romania | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 South Africa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (37 entries) | 75 | 75 | 75 | 225 | |
Participating National Federations edit
Notes edit
- ^ In accordance with sanctions imposed following by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, athletes from Belarus were not permitted to use the name, flag, or anthem of Belarus. They instead participated as "Neutral Independent Athletes (NIA)" and under the World Aquatics flag.
References edit
- ^ Sutherland, James (12 July 2022). "FINA Announces Dates For 2024 World Championships in Doha". Swimswam. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ "New dates set for world swim championships: May 13-19, 2022". AP NEWS. 4 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "FINA postpones Fukuoka-hosted 2022 World Championships because of COVID-19". TASS. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Despite High Profile Absences, Doha 2024 Worlds to Set Athlete Record". Swimming World Magazine. 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Why most of Australia's best swimmers are skipping the world championships". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 February 2024.
- ^ Sutherland, James (2 September 2023). "USA Swimming Releases Selection Criteria For 2024 World Championships In Doha". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Pan swims fastest 100 meters in history to help China win relay gold at aquatics worlds". Associated Press. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "FINA encouraged by strong interest for its 2021 and 2023 World Championships". World Aquatics. 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ "FINA World Championships 2021 & 2023: potential bidders meet in Lausanne". World Aquatics. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Qatar, China and Japan only bidders for world championships". SBS News. Retuers. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Marsteller, Jason (31 January 2016). "FINA Names Fukuoka (2021), Doha (2023) Hosts for Future FINA World Championships". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024 Organising Committee unveils official logo and brand". World Aquatics. 30 July 2023. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Playful mascots unveiled for the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024". World Aquatics. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Playful mascots unveiled for the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024". World Aquatics. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Koos, Tonrin (26 September 2023). "World Aquatics announces the competition schedule for the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024". World Aquatics. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Į "World Aquatics" pasaulio čempionatą Lietuva siunčia 15-os sportininkų rinktinę". LTU Aquatics (in Lithuanian). 2 January 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.