Distinguished members of the aquatics community today witnessed the historic grand opening of World Aquatics’ interim office in Budapest, Hungary by President Husain Al-Musallam and the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó.

Four-time Olympic swimming medallist Chad le Clos, six-time World Aquatics Championships water polo medallist Felipe Perrone and double Olympic medallist Pernille Blume were among the guests present at the event, which marks a significant step on the road to World Aquatics’ transition to Budapest.

Image Source: Open water swimming at the World Aquatics Championships - Budapest 2022 (Mike Lewis/World Aquatics)

Athletes have been placed at the heart of the decision to move the World Aquatics headquarters, and the ambition is to complete the transitional process in time for the 2027 World Aquatics Championships in the Hungarian capital.

The interim office is expected to house 25 new World Aquatics staff members. They will oversee a state-of-the-art content studio, which will help to bring athletes even closer to fans and the wider global aquatics community, and elevate World Aquatics’ social media and digital content profile.

Image Source: Media capturing the action at the World Aquatics Championships - Budapest 2022

President Al-Musallam and Minister Szijjártó cut the ribbon to formally open the interim office before visiting the impressive new facilities.

Following his tour of the site, President Al-Musallam hailed the significance of the interim office in paving the way for World Aquatics’ exciting relocation to a city with a rich history and bright future in aquatic sports.

Image Source: Aniko Kovacs/World Aquatics

“It is a huge honour to be here with Minister Szijjártó and our elite athletes to make this important step for our organisation and global community,” he said.

“Budapest has proven itself to be an outstanding host of our events and our athletes, and we are delighted to be making notable progress on a move which will help to enhance the profile and further the development of our aquatics sports.

“The facilities at our new interim office are excellent, and today’s opening is an important chapter in World Aquatics’ history.”

World Aquatics’ Member Federations voted in favour of moving the federation’s headquarters from Lausanne, Switzerland to Budapest at the World Aquatics General Congress 2023 in Fukuoka.

Image Source: World Aquatics leaders and Hungarian officials at the World Aquatics General Congress 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan where World Aquatics Member Federations voted in favour of moving the federation’s headquarters from Lausanne, Switzerland to Budapest, Hungary (Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics)

Budapest’s outstanding aquatics training and competition facilities include the Duna Arena and the Alfred Hajos National Swimming Stadium. Hungary has a demonstrable record of delivering world-class aquatics events, including the 2017 and 2022 World Aquatics Championships.

Next month, Budapest will again host the world’s leading athletes when it hosts the World Aquatics Swimming World Championships (25m) from 10-15 December. The Championships are scheduled to return to Budapest in 2027.

Image Source: The Hungarian capital at night

World Aquatics has a long and proud history in Lausanne, the city of its current headquarters, and this will continue after the move to Budapest is completed.

At the World Aquatics General Congress 2023, members approved the establishment of a World Aquatics Foundation which will be based in Lausanne, and the city will also be the home of the Aquatics Integrity Unit which provides independent oversight of all integrity-related matters in aquatics.

About World Aquatics 

Driven by the vision of a world united by water for health, life and sport, World Aquatics is the international governing body for aquatic sports. Founded in 1908, World Aquatics is an independent organisation formed of 211 National Federations and five Continental Organisations. 

World Aquatics oversees six aquatic sports—swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving—and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the leading global authority on these sports.

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World Aquatics Communications Department

Email: torin.koos@worldaquatics.com