Melbourne replaces Kazan as host of FINA World Swimming Championships

This year’s World Swimming Championships (25m) will be staged in Melbourne, Australia after world governing body FINA stripped Russia’s Kazan of its hosting rights.

The Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Center will now host the championships from December 13 to 18, marking the first time the Australian city has hosted the competition.

More than 1,000 athletes are set to compete.

Russia’s Kazan had originally been due to stage the event from December 17 to 22 after being awarded the competition back in 2017. However, it was stripped of its hosting rights by FINA in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Husain Al-Musallam, president of FINA, said: “Australia has a great swimming tradition and we’re looking forward to coming back to Melbourne.

“I am sure this will be another highly successful FINA event that provides the world’s best short course swimmers with the environment to perform at their very best.

“We are incredibly grateful to our hosts for stepping forward to host this prestigious meet.”

Melbourne has previously staged the FINA World Championships in 2007 and multiple FINA Swimming World Cup events.

FINA also staged two World Championships in Perth, Western Australia in 1991 and 1998.

On top of this year's short-course World Swimming Championships, Kazan was also removed as host of the 2022 World Junior Swimming Championships.

All Russian and Belarusian athletes, meanwhile, have been banned from competing at this summer’s World Aquatic Championships in Budapest.

The Russian Swimming Federation subsequently withdrew all its athletes from the rest of this year’s events organized by FINA.

Kazan staged the World Aquatics Championships in 2015 and in was named the host of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in 2019.