The aquatics community now has three distinguished swimmers serving as International Olympic Committee (IOC) Mental Health Ambassadors, out of nine across the Olympic Movement. Camille Cheng (HKG) and Bruno Fratus (BRA) join Ryan Pini (PNG), who was appointed to the role in November 2024.

Ryan Pini's appointment marked a significant milestone for mental health advocacy in aquatic sports. The four-time Olympian, who made his debut at Athens 2004 and served as Papua New Guinea's flagbearer at Beijing 2008, became just the second individual from his country to win individual gold at any Olympic or Commonwealth Games when he captured the Men's 100m Butterfly title at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. In addition to this, he represented his country in several World Aquatics competitions, winning a 100m Backstroke bronze at the Swimming World Cup stop in Singapore in 2011. Since then, Pini has been a leading voice on mental health advocacy in sport. Read more here.

Image Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Now, Camille Cheng and Bruno Fratus bring their own expertise to the ambassador programme. Cheng, a three-time Olympian and two-time World Aquatics Swimming World Cup bronze medallist in the Women's 100m and 200m Freestyle (2019), co-founded "Mind the Waves", creating a platform for youth to discuss mental wellbeing.

Fratus, the Brazilian sprint specialist and four-time World Aquatics Championships medallist, has consistently advocated for mental strength as an integral component of athletic performance.

Image Source: World Aquatics (Mike Lewis)

The diversity of experience these three ambassadors bring ensures strong aquatics representation in the mental health conversation across the Olympic Movement. Their work extends beyond inspiration to providing practical guidance and helping integrate mental health support into high-performance sporting environments.

The three swimmers join six other athletes as IOC Mental Health Ambassadors, tasked with breaking stigma, encouraging open conversations about mental health and promoting wellbeing within sport and beyond. They will engage athletes through social media, one-on-one conversations and IOC educational programmes.

World Aquatics is proud of their appointments, which aligns with the organisation’s ongoing commitment to athlete mental health. This is demonstrated by events such as the development activities at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025. Led by the World Aquatics Development and Athletes’ Services Team, a series of workshops and study sessions took place on site, with a strong focus on athlete wellbeing, coaching leadership, injury prevention and sustainable practices across all aquatic sports. Read more here.

The World Aquatics Forum at the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024, which drew over 100 attendees for discussions on "the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in athlete mental health", featured experts, athletes and coaches in Rohan Taylor, Amber Keegan and Alan Currie. Read more here.

The federation also supported the IOC's Athlete365 post-Paris 2024 webinar series, recognising that Olympic athletes often face challenges after the Olympic Games.

As these aquatics champions continue their advocacy work as IOC Mental Health Ambassadors, they reinforce the importance of mental health alongside physical preparation in an athletes’ journey.