Swimming: Singapore to host World Junior Championships in 2015 at Sports Hub

The biennial event for Under-18 swimmers will take place at the aquatic centre of the Singapore Sports Hub, which will be completed next year.

SINGAPORE - Singapore will host the World Junior Swimming Championships in 2015, after being awarded the hosting rights by Fina, the sport's international governing body.

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The Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) announced that Singapore will host the fifth edition of the World Junior Swimming Championships in 2015 at the Aquatic Centre situated within the Singapore Sports Hub. It will be the first time the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships will be held in Asia Pacific.

Catering to the under-18s, the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships has been held every two years since 2006, unearthing some of the brightest stars in swimming, including France's Camille Muffat, who went on to win three medals - one gold, one silver and one bronze - at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The most recent edition in Peru saw 528 swimmers from 58 nations participate and an astounding 42 championships records broken. The fourth edition of the championships will be held in Dubai from 26 - 31 August 2013.

"We are honoured to have been awarded the 2015 World Junior Swimming Championships by FINA. The event demonstrates FINA's confidence in our ability to host world class events and will give us a chance to showcase the upcoming Sports Hub's Aquatic Centre to a world audience," said Mr Jeffrey Leow, President of the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA).

Singapore has hosted a series of major international swim meets, having successfully organised the swimming competition of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and the FINA/ArenaSwimming World Cup series since 2007 at the Singapore Sports School. The team at SSA is also preparing for the 2013 edition of the FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup that will be held at the Singapore Sports School from 5-6 November.

"Singapore is proud to secure the rights to host the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in 2015. This is the event where the swim stars of tomorrow are unearthed and Singaporeans can now look forward to seeing some of the most talented youth swimmers in action. We hope this event will also inspire our youth athletes and engage the community at large at the new Aquatic Centre situated within the Sports Hub," said Mr Toh Boon Yi, Chief, Strategic Development and Marketing Group, Singapore SportsCouncil.

Expressing his delight at welcoming the event to the Sports Hub, Mr Mark Collins, Managing Director, Sports Hub Pte Ltd, said, "We are proud that the Sports Hub will play host to the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in 2015. Singaporeans can now look forward to experiencing an internationally renowned swimming event where some of the most talented youth swimmers will be competing on a global stage. The vision to have a world-class aquatics facility that will not only host competitions which excite sports fans, but also remain open for public use on non-event days, is becoming a reality. This is a wonderful example of how the Sports Hub is truly serving the community through sports."

The World Junior Swimming Championships will take place at the Aquatic Centre situated within the Sports Hub, which will be completed in April 2014. The Aquatic Centre, which will be built to international standards, has been designed to host international and local aquatics events and cater for everyday use by elite athletes and the public. While the seating capacity for this event is set at 3,000, it can be reconfigured to host up to 6,000 spectators.