FINA today announced that the 19th FINA World Fina Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, will be rescheduled to 14-30 July 2023, while the 20th FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar, will be moved to 2024.
The 19th FINA World Championships were originally scheduled to take place from 13 to 29 May 2022. However, after close consultation with the relevant partners of the Fukuoka Organizing Committee, the parties agreed to reschedule the competition from July 14 to 23, 2023 to ensure a safe and successful competition for all participants. Subsequently, the 20th FINA World Championships, originally scheduled for November 2023 in Doha, Qatar, will be held in January 2024.
FINA has been communicating with athletes and coaches about the upcoming schedule of international water sports competitions with the aim of minimizing the impact on athletes' preparation and performance, and the health impact of the COVID-19 Omil Kerong variant.
"In view of the current pandemic situation and the measures taken by Japan, FINA and the relevant partners of the Fukuoka Organizing Committee have agreed to reschedule the 19th FINA World Championships to July 14-30, 2023, and the 20th FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar, will be held in January 2024. This decision is made in the best interests of all those involved. Mr. Hussein Al-Musalam, President of FINA, said: "Fina will continue to prioritise the welfare of competition participants and make decisions as early as possible, depending on the situation. ”
The revised dates for the FINA General Assembly, the FINA Technical Congress and the 19th FINA Volkswagen World Championships will be announced as soon as possible. FinA will also soon announce the 2022 International Watersports schedule, providing athletes with more opportunities to compete at the highest level.