The second edition of the World Aquatics Medical Seminar proved a huge success during the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, with 45 participants attending to hear key insights on athlete health, wellbeing and performance optimisation.
Experts in sports medicine and science delivered a range of interactive sessions to support medical personnel in their services provided to athletes, and all participants were highly engaged throughout.
The World Aquatics Medical Seminar in Singapore built on the inaugural edition at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships – Budapest 2024, and had a particular focus on enhancing injury prevention, recovery and development of young athletes.
It was overseen by the World Aquatics Sports Medicine Committee and the World Aquatics Development and Athlete Services team.
"We are delighted with the success of the World Aquatics Medical Seminar, which was thanks in no small part to the engagement of the participants with the dedicated experts on each of the topics"
“The Seminar featured productive discussions on a range of important matters, and I am sure all the participants will have formulated new ideas and perspectives which they can apply in the services they provide to their athletes," World Aquatics Sports Medicine Committee Chair Cess Van Den Hoogendand added.
The Portuguese Swimming Federation’s head physiotherapist Daniel Moedas opened the Seminar and outlined a physiotherapist’s approach to servicing elite swimmers.
Dr Bon Sek Hui offered a case study on throwing shoulder in water polo, and there was also a focus on shoulder health in competitive swimmers led by Dexter Kin, as during the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest.
“World Aquatics [Medical Seminar] 2025 was a great cross-learning experience, seeing how other nations approach sports science, especially in physiotherapy. It’s a field close to my heart, and it reminded me how far the profession has come and how much faster the sport is getting,” Dexter Kin said.
Other key topics included recovery in young athletes by Erin Cameron, recovery and nutrition by Dr Riham Safwat, injury prevention strategies by Robert Smyth and biomechanics’ role in injury prevention by Russell Mark.
The final thematic session was delivered by Dr. Cherianne Taim, Dr Kester Choo and Regine Zhou, and examined evidence-based recovery protocols for competitive swimming.
“It was an honour to be able to attend and present at the Medical Seminar. I learned so much from the other presenters and have already begun to incorporate what I learned into my practice," said Erin Cameron.
"It was inspiring to see what other medical providers are working on to help move our sport forward"
"I feel fortunate to have been able to learn from this group,” Cameron added.
“The AQUA Medical Seminar is a great event that is important for the growth and evolution of knowledge across medical staff that work in sport. To best serve our athletes, we need to keep sharing information about best practices that are currently being utilised,” Russell Mark said.
"I enjoy meeting and talking with others that have valuable experiences to share"
The participants at the World Aquatics Medical Seminar also reflected positively on this highly valuable opportunity.
“The Seminar was very helpful and updating for me and our federation, and the presentation was attractive,” said Dr. Fetiha Ahmedin.
Another participant commented: “The Seminar was well-organised and provided valuable insights into medical practices in aquatic sports. I appreciated the range of expert presentations and the focus on athlete health and safety.”
Following the success of the World Aquatics Medical Seminar in Singapore, the World Aquatics Development and Athlete Services team will work on incorporating the opportunity at future major events.