World Aquatics Awards 2026 World Short-Course Championships to Beijing
World Aquatics on Tuesday announced that the 2026 World Short-Course Championships will be held in Beijing.
Dates have not been announced, but the short-course meet will be held in late 2026. The decision follows “a competitive bidding process and careful consideration by the World Aquatics Bureau,” and the announcement comes as the world aquatic community convenes in Singapore this week for the 2025 World Championships.
The World Aquatics congress, “recognized Beijing’s demonstrated excellence in hosting previous top-level events in swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming.” Beijing has already been named the host of the 24th long-course World Championships in 2029. That will be the fourth of the last five and fifth of the last seven championships to be held in Asia, including three consecutive long-course worlds under FINA president Husain Al Musallam, the first Asian leader of World Aquatics. (The current Worlds were originally awarded to Kazan, Russia, but relocated to Singapore.)
Beijing has hosted 38 World Aquatics events among 109 events in China. It is the only city to host the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics. China has hosted the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, the 2006 Short-Course Championships in Shanghai and the 2018 Short-Course Championships in Hangzhou.
“World Aquatics is delighted that China — a proud swimming nation — and its vibrant capital, Beijing, will host the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) for the first time,” Al Musallam said in a press release. “China has a rich swimming tradition, and we are excited to return to Beijing, where we are confident the world’s best short-course swimmers will be given every opportunity to perform at their highest level. We are deeply grateful to our hosts for their commitment to aquatics and are already looking forward to 2026.”
The China Swimming Association and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports will organize the event.
“We are thrilled and deeply honoured to host the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2026 in Beijing, a city with a proud Olympic history and a passion for aquatic sports,” CSA president Zhou Jihong said. “This prestigious competition brings together the world’s best swimmers, and with the remarkable number of World Records broken at the last edition, we anticipate another great spectacle. We look forward to welcoming swimming fans from around the globe and providing an unforgettable experience for all.”
China has emerged as one of the elite nations in swimming over the last several decades. China has won 12 gold medals and 28 swimming medals over the last two editions of the World Championships.
“I can’t wait to compete at the World Swimming Championships in Beijing,” said Pan Zhanle, the world record-holder in the men’s 100 freestyle. “The atmosphere and energy of short-course racing, combined with the intensity of a championship event, will create an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience. With so many records falling at the 2024 short-course Worlds, I aim to add my name to that list in 2026 in front of my home fans. Hearing that this prestigious event is coming to China in 2026 is exciting, and I know the fans will bring amazing support.”
