Synchronized swimming or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World Aquatics. It has traditionally been a women's sport, although FINA introduced a new mixed gender duet competition that included one male swimmer in each duet at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and European Aquatics introduced men's individual events at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships. From 2024, men are able to compete in the team event at the Olympics.
World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA, is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in water sports. It is one of several international federations which administer a given sport or discipline for both the IOC and the international community. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), formerly known as the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), also referred to as 'short course worlds', are an international swimming competition staged by the internationally recognized governing body of the sport, World Aquatics. The championships are staged in a 25m pool, referred to as short course format, and traditionally have been held biennially in alternate years to the World Aquatics Championships. Unlike the World Aquatics Championships, only swimming events are staged at these championships.
The 4th FINA World Swimming Championships was an international swimming meet organized by FINA, held 1–4 April 1999 at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hong Kong. It features 516 swimmers from 61 nations, swimming in 40 short course events.
The 3rd FINA World Swimming Championships were an international swimming meet organized by FINA. It was held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden April 17−20, 1997; and featured 501 swimmers from 71 nations.
The 2nd FINA World Swimming Championships was an international swimming meet held on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 November until 3 December 1995. The meet featured 32 events swum in a short course (25m) pool.
The 1st Short Course Swimming World Championships were organized by FINA and held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, December 2–5, 1993. The meet featured competition in a short course pool. During the championships, a total of 12 world records were broken: 10 in the women's events and 2 in men's events, both in relays.
The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001.
The 2007 World Aquatics Championships, or the XII FINA World Championships, were held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 March to 1 April 2007. The competition took place at three locations in central Melbourne: the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, St Kilda Beach, and Rod Laver Arena in a temporary pool christened the Susie O'Neill Pool.
The 14th FINA World Championships were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronized swimming. At this championships, synchronized swimmer Natalia Ishchenko, of Russia, was the most decorated competitor winning all six gold medals of her events, at solo, duet and team routines. These championships served as qualifying stages for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The 8th FINA World Championships or the 1998 World Aquatics Championships were held from 8 to 17 January 1998 in Perth, Western Australia. The championships features competition in all five of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Synchronised swimming and Open Water Swimming. The main venue for competition was Challenge Stadium, which hosted all disciplines except the Open Water events.
Sarah Fredrika Sjöström is a Swedish competitive swimmer specialising in the sprint freestyle and butterfly events.
The China women's national water polo team represents China in international women's water polo competitions and friendly matches. It is one of the leading teams in Asia.
Andrea Fuentes Fache is a Spanish swimming coach and former synchronised swimmer. She is the most decorated swimmer in the history of the Spanish national team, with four Olympic, 16 World Championship and 11 European Championship medals: her four Olympic medals also make her the most decorated Spanish female Olympian of all time, alongside Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Mireia Belmonte.
Yuan Yuan is a Chinese former swimmer who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Cao Yuan is a Chinese diver and an Olympic gold medalist, having won four golds, one silver and one bronze in the Olympics. He has also won golds in diving at the World Championships and World Cups. Cao is considered the best male diver of all time.
China was alleged to have conducted a state-sanctioned doping operation in the 1980s and 1990s, according to former General Administration of Sport of China physician Xue Yinxian. These claims could not be corroborated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Other allegations of doping have focused on swimmers and track and field athletes, such as those taught by Ma Junren. Three Chinese weightlifters were stripped of their gold Olympic medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics for doping. Eleven Chinese athletes were stripped of medals for doping at the 1994 Asian Games.
The men's 200 metre individual medley event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 28 to 30 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's twelfth appearance, having been first held in 1968 and 1972 and then at every edition since 1984.
During the FINA World Aquatics Championships, athletes whose governing body has been suspended are still allowed to compete under the FINA flag with the "country" designation as "Suspended Member Federation". In 2015, the Sri Lankan federation was suspended, but they competed as independent athletes under the FINA code. Since 2017, Kuwait, Kenya, and the Philippines have sent participants to the Aquatics Championships under the SMF code.
From 2015 to 2022 when the World Aquatics was still known as FINA, neutral athletes have competed under the designation Independent FINA Athlete (IFA) either due to their national federation's suspension of their governing body or as refugees.
United States (USA)
Australia (AUS)*
China (CHN)
Germany (GER)
France (FRA)
Netherlands (NED)
Russia (RUS)
Ukraine (UKR)
Hungary (HUN)
Belgium (BEL)
Costa Rica (CRC)
Japan (JPN)
Slovakia (SVK)
Italy (ITA)
Canada (CAN)
Sweden (SWE)
Great Britain (GBR)
Puerto Rico (PUR)