Some hours before the official opening of the 20th FINA World Men’s Junior Water Polo Championships, to be staged in Kuwait City (KUW) from December 12-20, the FINA Bureau held its last 2019 meeting. Under the presidency of Dr Julio C. Maglione, the main highlights of the gathering were:
-Approval of the standard qualifying times for the 2020 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Abu Dhabi (UAE), and the 2021 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka (JPN);
-Approval of the Swimming and Diving Technical Officials for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games;
-Award to Windsor (CAN) the organisation of the 2020 edition of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series Super Final;
-Analysis of the applications submitted for the “Pools for All” programme, aimed at assisting in the construction of a swimming pool in nations lacking this facility;
-Approval of the venue and dates of the upcoming FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), to be staged in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on December 15-20, 2020;
-Information on the most updated stages of preparation for the Olympic qualification events in Diving and Artistic Swimming, 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and 2021 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka (JPN). On the Olympic Games, FINA registered with satisfaction the progress of the new Aquatic complex (to be completed in April), which will contribute to Aquatics’ added-value in the Olympic programme and will constitute an important legacy for Tokyo and Japan after the Games’ celebration;
-Update on the figures and procedures related with the ITA anti-doping programme. Between January and November 2019, the International Testing Agency carried out 2565 out-of competition tests on aquatic athletes;
-Temporary suspension of the National Federations of Kenya and Federated States of Micronesia, until proper elections are held in accordance with the FINA Rules.
Addressing the Bureau members in the beginning of the meeting, Dr Maglione considered: “It is a great pleasure for us to be here in Kuwait, responding to the kind invitation of our First Vice-President Husain Al Musallam. We wish our Kuwaiti hosts the best luck for the organisation of the FINA World Men’s Junior Water Polo Championships, starting from today in this city. Players, coaches and officials are very happy to be here and I am sure it will be a great tournament, unveiling many of the stars that will shine in future editions of our FINA World Championships and Olympic Games”.
“We are closing a very successful year for FINA, highlighted by our FINA World Championships, last July in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. Despite this achievement, we have a lot of work ahead of us. But after such a positive year, we can face the times to come with optimism and confidence”, concluded the FINA President.