FINA Swimming World Cup 2022 calendar revealed

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – The FINA Swimming World Cup 2022 will touch down in three cities over three consecutive weeks with three days of action-packed 25m racing at each series stop this fall.

The compact cluster of events kicks off in Berlin (GER) from 21-23 October before heading to North America for tour stops in Toronto (CAN) from 28-30 October and Indianapolis (USA) from 3-5 November.

A regular FINA Swimming World Cup stop, Berlin has hosted 17 events since 2000. At last year’s series opener, Matthew Sates positioned himself to become South Africa’s new swimming star. The 18-year-old won four golds and a silver in the German capital while setting two World Junior Records (200m IM and 200m Freestyle).   

From Germany, the series heads to Canada with Toronto hosting its first FINA Swimming World Cup since 1988. No stranger to hosting top-level swimming competitions, Canada has hosted the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships (Windsor, 2016), the 11th FINA World Championships (Montreal, 2005) and the FINA Swimming World Cup (Edmonton, 2001) in recent years.

From Canada, the series heads south to the swimming hotbed of Indianapolis and the iconic Indiana University Natatorium venue to conclude the 2022 World Cup. Recently, Indianapolis hosted the FINA Champions Swim Series in 2019, the 6th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in 2017 and the 7th FINA World Swimming Championships in 2004.  

The 2022 edition of the FINA Swimming World Cup slots into the international swimming competition calendar between the 19th FINA World Championships (18 June - 3 July) in Budapest and the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in December. All three legs for the series will be qualifiers for the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m).

More than 750 athletes from 40 countries across all five continents are expected to compete for an overall series prize pool of USD 1.2 million.  A new bonus structure will provide financial incentives for standout performances as well. 

Look for established stars and up-and-coming talents to shine as teenage upstart Matthew Sates of South Africa and Emma McKeon, Australia’s four-time world record holder and eleven-time Olympic medallist, took the men’s and women’s FINA Swimming World Cup overall series titles in 2021.

After announcing himself on the global stage last year, look for eighteen-year-old Sates to come back for more in 2022.

”I’m really looking forward to kicking off the FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin and then continuing the tour to North America for stops in Toronto and Indianapolis,” Sates said. “The 2021 World Cup season was a breakthrough season for me; setting world junior records and winning the overall series title leaves me hungry for more. Having a compact, three-week tour or intense racing in cool cities after this summer’s FINA World Championships is an ideal format for quality racing. I know my competition will bring their best – and I will, too.” 

After winning four gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games to bring McKeon to an all-time Australian best 11 career Olympic medals, McKeon credits the FINA Swimming World Cup for providing the ideal competition environment to extend her run of success in 2021.

”For me, 2021 was an incredible year. After winning four individual golds in Tokyo, the FINA Swimming World Cup gave me the racing series I needed to continue my run of top races past my big success at the Olympics,” McKeon said. “I’ve enjoyed competing in the Swimming World Cup. It’s a great way to train and compete while you travel the world with your friendly rivals from the pool.”