The 2025 World Aquatics Championships will take place in Singapore from July 11 to August 3. This event is held every two years, and Singapore is the first Southeast Asian city to host the champions. Singapore is known for its cultural vibrancy and modern architecture. The city is safe, clean, and friendly to visitors. It has successfully hosted many international events.
Most of the events will take place at the Singapore Sports Hub, which was built for the Southeast Asian Games in 2015. The theme is “Water Shapes Us,” and the official mascots for the events are Dewey the Dugong and Ollie the Otter.
The venues
Singapore’s Changi Airport connects globally, and local transport is efficient. It will not be a problem to get to the different state-of-the-art venues.
The World Aquatics Championships Area was built specially for the championships. It will seat 5,300 spectators to watch swimming and artistic swimming in two Olympic-standard pools. The OCBC Aquatic Center will host diving and water polo.
Sentosa Island at Palawan Beach is the venue for high diving and open water events. Watching gravity-defying high diving with a beach backdrop should be spectacular. A fan festival, ‘Aqua Fiesta,’ will take place on July 26 and 27.
Pre-event training pools include Nexus International and Our Tampines Hub. Water polo, swimming, and open-water practice will take place in school pools.
With online sports betting now legal in many U.S. states, fans will be placing bets on the events. They can use a betting app through their mobile devices. Some U.S. swimming stars that fans will be keen to watch and bet on are Katie Ledecky and Michael Andrews.
The schedule
The championships open on July 11 with ceremonies followed by open-water competitions from July 15 to 20.
- High diving will take place on Sentosa from July 24 to 27.
- Artistic swimming and 13 diving events happen from July 26 to 29.
- Pool swimming consists of 42 events that happen from July 27 to August 3.
- Water polo events happen throughout the championships.
- The closing ceremony takes place on August 3.
The disciplines
The different disciplines at the championships all offer spectators something different to enjoy. It may be the thrill of high diving or the water polo duels that fans especially want to see.
Swimming events
Swimming events cover a whole range, from 50m sprints to long endurance races. They cover all the strokes and include relays.
Diving events
Diving events at the OCBC venue will include individual and synchronized action. As these events follow the Diving World Cup Series earlier in the year, the divers are likely to enter with momentum.
Open Water and Artistic Swimming
Open water events include distances from 3.1 miles to 6.2 miles. A 1.8-mile knockout sprint will take place for the first time this year and offer some good head-to-head challenges that help swimmers achieve peak performance.
Artistic swimming is wonderful to watch, offering a combination of choreography and athleticism. There will be various routines on display, including solo, duet, and team performances.
Water Polo
Men’s and women’s water polo events go through various group stages before the knockout rounds.
Masters Championship
The Masters Championship will run simultaneously from July 26 to August 22, and athletes of 25 and over can compete in five different disciplines.
Number of athletes competing
The championship last year saw athletes from 197 nations competing in 75 events. This year, 2,000 competitors from around 210 nations are expected to compete in 77 events across six different disciplines.
Fan zones
At the Kallang venue will be fan zones with live screens, entertainment, and athlete meet-and-greets.
Some tips for first-time visitors
Visitors should try to book accommodation near Sentosa or Kallang if they want quick access to venues. The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) offers fast and easy travel. It’s important to hydrate properly during long event days and carrying some light snacks is advisable.
Consider buying an eSIM for connectivity and familiarize yourself with the venue layout and event schedule. Don’t forget to explore some of the sights around Singapore while visiting. From Chinatown to Marina Bay Sands, there’s plenty of vibrant city life to take in.
