From 2019, elite swimming stars will have the opportunity to shine in a brand new FINA competition, the “FINA Champions Swim Series”, a circuit gathering the top-athletes of the Sport. With an original competition format including only finals of four swimmers, the Series will very soon be a milestone in the FINA calendar.

The main goals of this new international gathering are to give high-level swimmers increased attention and additional occasions to compete, thus generating stronger international TV, digital and media interest, and creating another world-class platform for Swimming on a yearly basis.

The Series will be an exceptional showcase for the sport and its top swimmers, by combining pure competition, together with innovative sports presentation and entertainment. It will comprise events of 50m, 100m and 200m in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly (as well as the 400m free and 200m IM), in addition to relay races. The competition will be held in 50-metre pools.

The athletes’ participation in this exclusive Series will be on an invitation-only basis, comprising the Olympic and World medalists, the WR holder and the best in the 2018 world rankings in each event.

For 2019, the first event will take place in Guangzhou, China, on April 27-28; Budapest, the Hungarian capital, will follow on May 11-12; and Indianapolis, in the USA, will close this inaugural edition on May 31-June 1. All the Series meets will serve as qualifying events for both the FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.