Since its launch in 2014, the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme has provided vital financial and technical support to help aquatics athletes from around the world to fulfil their potential.
The programme is targeted at athletes who face challenges in accessing high-performance training locally, and places the majority of scholarship holders at Training Centres that cooperate with World Aquatics in Antibes (France), Bahrain, Thanyapura (Thailand), Bond University (Australia), Azura Florida (USA) and Toronto (Canada).
The World Aquatics Scholarship Programme provides athletes with the support to secure new personal bests, set national records and excel on the highest stage of the World Aquatics Championships and Olympic Games.
For 2025-2026, the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme offered scholarships in swimming, open water swimming and diving water polo and artistic swimming.
World Aquatics spoke to scholarship holders around the world for an update on their experiences so far.
Artistic Swimming
Soledad Garcia (Chile)
Soledad Garcia is training with her sister Trinidad Garcia (Chile)
“It has been absolutely essential and truly amazing to be part of the programme as twins and duet partners! We literally live the sport 24/7, motivating and supporting each other every single day, both in the water and in life. We have a shared dream and a unique connection that allows us to push each other to be our best selves. We celebrate every success together, big or small. Having her by my side makes the intensity of elite training feel lighter and the successes feel sweeter. We know, without a doubt, that we are stronger together than we could ever be apart.
“The programme has been transformational. Since our National Federation has limited resources, the scholarship has provided us with access to world-class coaching, state-of-the-art facilities, and elite training partners that would otherwise be unavailable to us. This support has significantly refined our technical skills, synchronised artistry, and physical conditioning. Crucially, the programme has given us the platform to compete in high-stakes international competitions.
“The highlight of our experience so far has undoubtedly been competing in international competitions and proudly wearing the Chilean flag on the world stage.”
Emily Minante (Colombia)
“What motivated me most to apply for the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme was being able to acquire a lot of knowledge from international and Olympic coaches, who would shape me and give me an initial or follow-up on my path in my sport.
“The most outstanding moment I've had of all would be experiencing a new training method, another perspective to improve and surpass myself, and above all learning to transmit and let go of all that cannot be done in everyday life; this experience has taught me to feel freer.
“The goals we have set as a mixed duet [with Gustavo Sanchez] for 2026 are to showcase our best, strongest, and most prepared performance, and to make the event much more recognised so that we can garner the necessary support to become an Olympic event in 2032.”
Diving
Sophie Derbyshire (New Zealand, based at the Toronto Training Centre)
“I applied for the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme because I was impressed with the training centre and training hours. I also really liked the idea of living with divers from other countries who would also be training with me.
“I am able to train much more and with better facilities than previously. I like that with a new coach, I am given a new and different perspective.
“The highlight for me so far has been both the dryland training and getting to learn about the other athletes’ cultures.”
Daniela Zapata Correa (Colombia, based at the Toronto Training Centre)
“I was motivated by the opportunity to train in high-level conditions and fully focus on my diving career. I saw this programme as the best path to achieve my long-term goals and to continue growing as an athlete.
"Stepping out of your comfort zone is always challenging, but it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life"
"After more than five months in Toronto, I feel proud of how much I’ve learned – from adapting to a new culture to learning a new language and even mastering everyday skills like cooking.
“The biggest highlight has been connecting with people from all over the world. Training and living with athletes from different cultures has taught me new perspectives and allowed me to share my own culture as well. I’ve created friendships that I know will last a lifetime.”
Open water swimming
Ana Abad (Ecuador, based at Antibes Training Centre)
“The opportunity to improve myself in the sport motivated me to apply. In the beginning, it was difficult because it was the first time that I was far from my home and adapting to new training hasn't been easy.
“The programme helps me a lot, and I'm very grateful for this opportunity to train with the best swimmers around the world. It gives me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone in every way in order to improve.”
Swimming
David Akopyan (Turkmenistan, based at World Aquatics Bahrain Centre of Excellence)
“At first it felt unusual – a new country, new people, a new schedule. But the team and coaches helped me a lot, so I adapted fairly quickly. Now I feel confident and comfortable.
“The key difference of the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme is that it provides a full range of resources necessary to reach the world level. For the first time, I have access to training at an international high-performance centre.
“The highlight has probably been the feeling of progress – when you start to see that you’re becoming stronger and technically better. And of course, the opportunity to train alongside athletes from different countries is very motivating.
Ahmed Suhail (Bahrain, based at World Aquatics Bahrain Centre of Excellence)
“My motivation is to get better, improve my results, break national records and get medals in any competition that I participate in.
“It’s nice and of course it’s new life for me
“The training is so different and I hope that I will improve and show very good results. Meeting my new friends and working with them has been great.
“I’m very excited about the Centre of Excellence and I believe that I will improve my performance”
Israel Poppe (Guam, based at Bond University)
“The chance for me to improve and give my all to swimming motivated me to apply for the World Aquatic Scholarship Programme.
“The difference from training in the Scholarship Programme and back home is the amount of swimming I can do and the quality of the training facilities. At home I could only swim for nine hours a week, and in the Scholarship Programme I get to train almost double that. Back on my island we only had one pool to practice in consistently, so having access to the pools and gyms here is great.
“The Scholarship Programme also teaches us about nutrition and other life skills like living on our own, so it helps us to be independent and shows us different ways we can live in the future when we are done with our sport.”
Siwakhile Dlamini (Eswatini, based at Bond University)
“I am now currently training at Bond University in Australia. It is very different from what I am used to in terms of a training programme but I genuinely love it so much. It is a positive and fun environment both inside and outside the water. I have such wonderful coaches and teammates who have made adapting to a new programme much easier for me.
“The training that I am currently under is very individualised as it focuses a lot on self-improvement and goal setting.
"It has pushed my limits and made me realise I am more capable than I thought"
“The biggest highlight for me is the relationships I have been able to create with other scholarship holders. Despite being able to improve so much in the water and break national records, being a scholarship holder has given the blessing of interacting with other people of different cultures and building what I believe to be lifelong relationships.”
Gabriel Martinez (Honduras, based at Antibes Training Centre)
“In 2023, I had the opportunity to apply for the scholarship, and I was at a point in my life where I needed to find a way to train abroad, as my coach knew that someone else could support my athletic development more effectively. That was when I had the chance to come to France, where I have achieved significant success since then.
“It was very challenging for me, as everything was new: another country, my first time training with a different coach, swimming alongside other athletes better than me, and experiencing a completely different world from the one I knew. However, thanks to my family and the values they instilled in me, I was able to adapt very well.“
"I am very happy and proud to witness my steady growth as both a person and an athlete"
Gregory Anodin (Mauritius, based at Antibes Training Centre)
“What motivated me to join the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme was my desire for a change of environment – one that prioritises performance and supports continuous improvement. I wanted to train in a setting specifically designed for high-level athletes, with better structure and resources than my previous club. Ultimately, I made this move to give myself the best chance of achieving my goal: competing for the 2028 Olympic Games.
“The reason Antibes is different is that, first of all, I train much more than I did in Mauritius. Additionally, it's a larger group, so there are many of us training together, which is much more motivating. When I was in Mauritius, I sometimes trained alone.
“This will help my professional career because I'm planning to start swim coach courses in January. I'll be able to keep training while taking the coaching classes.”
Kestra Kihleng (Micronesia, based at Thanyapura Training Centre)
“I’ve been swimming for the FSM National Team since 2017, but back home our training options were very limited with only one 25m pool. In 2023, my Federation encouraged me to apply for the World Aquatics Scholarship in Thailand. I was hesitant to leave home, but I wanted better training opportunities and saying yes has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.
“The biggest difference is the access to professional coaching, structured programmes, and a full-sized 50m pool.
"Everything is more consistent, focused, and geared toward high-performance development"
“Seeing my progress, both physically and mentally, has been the biggest highlight. I’ve come a long way, from fighting for my spot for Paris Olympics to now working toward my second Games in LA 2028. Training alongside athletes from all over the world has also made the experience truly special.”
Water polo
Brody McKnight (Canada, based at Marseille Training Centre)
“I had been struggling for the last two seasons to find a professional team to play for in Europe. Despite being the first goalkeeper for Canada, nothing seemed to work out. After hearing great things about the Scholarship Programme, I thought I would give it a try.
“I’ve trained this many hours before, but I’ve never trained with this much quality in a team. From the players to the coaches, most are Olympians and many have won medals in big competitions. From that alone, this training is unmatched.
“Without a doubt, the highlight of this experience has been making my Champions League debut. It has been a goal of mine since I started playing the sport 17 years ago.”
Saya Sekine (Japan, based at Catalunya Water Polo Club)
“I wanted to gain experience in Europe to develop the skills and physical strength needed to compete against athletes with different body types, as I aim to compete in the Olympics.
“It has been two months since I arrived in Barcelona. I attend a Spanish language school, so I can now understand a little of what the coach says, and I have become more comfortable with the training routines. Whenever I face difficulties, my teammates are kind and always ready to help me.
In Japan, water training usually lasts two to three hours, but in Spain it ranges from one hour to at most 1.5 hours. The training is short but very focused.
“Playing overseas is not easy. The playing styles in Japan and Europe are very different, and of course, there is also the language barrier. I need to grow while being part of the team.”
Darya Pochinok (Kazakhstan, based at Horta Water Polo Club)
“I was motivated to apply for a World Aquatics Scholarship by gaining international experience, the desire to improve, to enhance my skills, to work in a new team with a different system and to play with the best teams in Europe.
“Thanks to the communication skills and responsiveness of the coaches, team, and management, integrating into a completely new environment was easy for me. My teammates always help, offer advice and support, and the coach explains everything clearly and understandably.
"The World Aquatics Scholarship is a new stage, and an excellent opportunity to improve my athletic skills and perfect my craft"
“It is a high level of play, spectacular matches and a great experience.
“The highlights have been the excellent organisation, learning a new language, an interesting and new training process for me, a warm and friendly atmosphere in the team, and an incredible atmosphere at the matches.
“Today, I continue to experience euphoria from being in the amazing city of Barcelona, from being part of a young and ambitious team.”
As these testimonies show, the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme continues to be a powerful catalyst for the development and growth of aquatics athletes both personally and professionally. From breaking national records to adapting to new cultures and environments, scholarship holders are building foundations for success on the world stage. Fans and the global aquatics community are invited to continue follow their journeys as they continue to progress and pursue their ambitions, all with the ongoing support of World Aquatics.