Captain Louis Renault: What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?
Rick Blaine: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Captain Louis Renault: The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert!
Rick Blaine: I was misinformed.
One would imagine that the conversation between FINA President Julio Maglione and his top brass sounded something like the above scene from Casablanca the movie when they decided to withdraw the 2013 version of the FINA World Junior Championships from Casablanca the city. As dreams of great features with movie quotes galore slip from my grasps, sources close to the governing body tell us that FINA is expected to soon announce a new host for the 4th version of this meet.
This series began in 2006 in Brazil, and every version thus far has been in Latin America. That includes in 2008 in Monterrey and in 2011 in Lima, Peru, the most recent version of which was by far the most successful.
An announcement of the new host is expected soon, though unofficial speculation indicates that somewhere in Asia is the most likely target. This meet joins the 2013 senior version of the World Championships, that already has been moved from the UAE to Barcelona, Spain.