The 2018 Pan Pacific Championships will return to Japan for the first time in 16 years, according to a meet plan from Swimming Canada.
Swimming Canada’s plan lists that nation’s major meets from 2015 through 2018. You can view it here. The plan lists the 2018 Pan Pacs as taking place tentatively from August 23-27 in Tokyo.
The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships were founded by 4 nations – Canada, Japan, the United States and Australia – in 1985. Hosting duties rotate between those four countries, though there are other nations who compete in the event.
Japan has hosted Pan Pacs more than any other nation, but hasn’t hosted the event since 2002. Tokyo hosted the inaugural Pan Pacs meet in 1985, meaning the 2018 meet will be heading back to its roots.
In the early years, Japan hosted every other meet, taking the 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2002 editions. (Prior to 1999, the event took place every two years, but jumped from 1999 to 2002 and then began an every-four-years pattern). But the nation hasn’t hosted since 2002, with each of the other founding nations hosting an event in between: Canada in 2006, the U.S. in 2010 and Australia in 2014.
The 2018 Pan Pacs will also serve as somewhat of a tune-up for the city of Tokyo, which will host the 2020 Summer Olympics just two years later.