12th FINA World Championships will be held in Melbourne from 17 March to 1 April 2007.
The five aquatics disciplines will be contested at the World Championships. They are:
- Swimming
- Open Water Swimming
- Diving
- Water Polo
- Synchronised Swimming
The venues for the World Championships are:
- Rod Laver Arena (RLA): Swimming and Synchronised Swimming
- Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC): Water Polo and Diving
- St Kilda Beach: Open Water Swimming
An estimated 2000 athletes from as many as 175 countries will compete
at the World Championships.
Across the five disciplines, there will be a total of 65 gold medals awarded at the
World Championships.
At the World Championships the Swimming program will be conducted over eight days.
The Open Water Swimming program will be conducted on fi ve days and over three
distances for men and women – 5km, 10km & 25km.
The 10km Open Water Swimming event will be an Olympic event for the fi rst time in 2008.
The Diving program will be conducted over eight days and include both individual
& synchronised events.
The Synchronised Swimming program will be conducted over eight days and include
solo, duet, team and free combination events.
The Water Polo program, including men's and women's competition will be held over 14 days.
It is expected that more athletes will compete at next year's World Championships than the athletes that competed in the swimming and aquatics program at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
In the Swimming program, more than 1000 athletes from an estimated 175 countries
will compete in Melbourne.
In the Open Water Swimming program, an estimated 110 athletes from 30 countries will compete in Melbourne.
In the Diving program, more than 200 athletes from an estimated 40 countries will
compete in Melbourne.
In total, 416 athletes from 32 teams will compete in the men's and women's water polo program.
In the Synchronised Swimming program, an estimated 240 athletes from 40 countries will compete in Melbourne.
Official website: http://www.melbourne2007.com.au/
(China.org.cn March 1, 2007)