The Championships

Dubai will stage the most competitive FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) and create a legacy that inspires the UAE.

The short course swimming championships have been held every 2 years since the inaugural championships began in Palma de Mallorca, Spain in 1993.

1993: Palma de Mallorca, Spain 1999: Hong Kong, China 2004: Indianapolis, USA
1995: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2000: Athens, Greece 2006: Shanghai, China
1997: Gothenburg, Sweden 2002: Moscow, Russia 2008: Manchester, UK

Over the 5-days the World Swimming Championships are expected to attract 30,000+ visitors, 1,000+ Swimmers and 250+ Media from 140+ countries.

Dubai 2010 will be the first time that the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) will be held in the Middle East.

The host venue will be Dubai Sports Complex located in Dubailand on the Dubai Bypass Road.

Dubai Sports Complex is being built by Dubai Municipality and will be a 15,000 seater multi-purpose water sports venue.

The Men and Women athletes will compete in 40 different events:

Freestyle: 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m and 1,500m
Backstroke:  50m, 100m and 200m
Breaststroke:  50m, 100m and 200m
Butterfly:  50m, 100m and 200m
Individual Medley:  50m, 100m and 200m
Relays: 4×100 m freestyle, 4×200 m freestyle and 4×100 m medley

Each day of competition will be split into a morning and evening session. The morning session will be heats, starting from 10.00 hrs until 13.00 hrs. The evening session will be the Semi- Finals and Finals, starting from 19.00 hrs until 21.30 hrs

The first National Federation to officially register their interest in competing at these World Swimming Championships was from Mauritania.

The USA is expected to have the largest swimming team with over 75 athletes, coaches and medical staff. The UAE won the bid to host these FINA World Swimming Championships in 2006. Tickets will go on sale in September 2010 and will cost from AED 10 – 30 per ticket per session.