Courtesy: FINA
LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – With iconic cities and stunning lakes and oceans setting the open water stage for the FINA Marathon Swim World Series 2022, FINA is pleased to announce the following locations and dates:
- 28-29 May, Setubal (POR) – Leg 1
- 9-10 July, Paris (FRA) – Leg 2
- 26-28 August, Lac Mégantic (CAN) – Leg 3
- 4-7 December, Eilat (ISR) – Leg 4
Starting the season off in Setubal makes for familiar waters for the open water swimming elite as the Portuguese oceanside city hosted the FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier events in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
The World Series circuit then heads to the French capital city as leg two will provide open water swimmers with a preview of what’s to come in two years at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The World Series then heads to Lac Mégantic in the Canadian region of Quebec. An open water event stop from 2017-2019, look for two-time men’s winner and defending FINA World Championships open water swimming winner Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary to feature among the contenders in Canada.
The World Series will head to the Gulf of Eilat on the northern tip of the Red Sea in Israel for the final international open water swimming event of 2022. Eilat is an experienced host, with the sea swimming venue having previously held three World Series events and the FINA Open Water Swimming Junior Championships in 2018.
Each World Series stop will have a USD 30,000 prize purse, equally paid out between men and women.
Competitors earn points throughout the year towards the overall World Series title, with 800 points awarded to first place at an event and descending through by place thereafter. Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha and Oceane Cassignol of France come in as the co-reigning women’s overall World Series winners with Rasovszky the defending men’s champion.
FINA President Husain Al-Musallam expressed this excitement for this season’s start of the FINA Open Water World Series.
“From familiar series stops to adding a new host in Paris to the international open water swimming calendar, we have a slate of events we are very proud of for the FINA Marathon Swim World Series in 2022,” the FINA President said. “The quality of open water swimming has never been higher, with established champions raising their level as new talents emerge on the global stage. From the start in Setubal to the season’s end in Eilat, we can expect some of the strongest performances and closest finishes we’ve ever seen in open water swimming.”