FINA Postpones World Masters Championships To 2023; No 2022 Event Planned

FINA has announced that the 2022 World Masters Championships have been rescheduled for August 2-11, 2023 in Kyushu, Japan.

The event was originally scheduled for May 31-June 9, 2022, hosted jointly by the cities of Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu, Japan. That includes using the same Fukuoka pool scheduled to host the FINA World Aquatics Championships, as has become recent tradition.

But after that championship was rescheduled to 2023, so too was the Masters event.

There will be no Masters event attached to the newly-formed 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, FINA says.

The Masters’ World Championships includes disciplines in swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming.

The Masters meet is arguably the bigger financial windfall for the host city: whereas the 2019 World Aquatics Championships had around 2,600 competing athletes from 192 nations, the World Masters Championships are expected to draw around 10,000 athletes from 100 nations. That is almost as many as athletes as compete at the Summer Olympic Games.

Swimming, the most popular of the five disciplines, is expected to be held in Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A, the same venue as swimming at the World Aquatics Championships, and in Fukuoka Nishi Civic Pool.

Diving will be held in Fukuoka Prefectural Pool, open water races will be at the Seaside Momochi Beach Park, water polo will be at the Aqua Dome Kumamoto, and artistic swimming will be at the Kamoike Park Swimming Pool.

“The decision to reschedule the 19th FINA World Masters Championships 2022 has been jointly taken with the Fukuoka 2022 Organising Committee and relevant parties,” FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said. “Following the postponement of the 19th FINA World Championships 2022 Fukuoka, we believe that this is the best solution for the athletes, officials, fans and everyone involved. Hosting the 19th FINA World Masters Championships 2022 across the three beautiful cities of Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kagoshima will provide a fantastic opportunity to inspire the next generation of aquatics stars in Japan and around the world.”