World Aquatics, founded in 1908 in London as FINA, governs swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, open water swimming and high diving, and renamed itself in January 2023. It reached 210 member federations in 2025 with the admission of Sao Tome and Principe. It has drawn controversy for a 2022 policy that effectively bars transgender women from professional women's swimming, for a vice president accused of verbally abusing a diving judge, for a 2021 ruling on the fit of Soul Cap swim caps designed for natural Black hair, and for criticism of its handling of a Chinese doping review that left athletes with what one report called zero confidence in the body. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Body TypeInternational federation 1 FoundedFounded 19 July 1908 at the Manchester Hotel in London by eight national federations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary and Sweden. HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland (announced relocation to Budapest by 2027) 1 FoundersFounded as FINA by eight national federations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary and Sweden. 1 Body Type
Body Type (category)International Federation 1 Body Type (category)National Governing Body 1 FAQs
Why is World Aquatics also called FINA?
FINA was the name from 1908 until the federation became World Aquatics in January 2023.
FINA was the federation's name from its founding on 19 July 1908 in London. It is short for the French name Fédération internationale de natation. The federation changed its operating name to World Aquatics in January 2023, seven months after its Congress approved the change and a new constitution.
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Source Aquatics GB (British Swimming), Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia, USA Swimming
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Source Wikipedia, World Aquatics
Source Wikipedia, Water Polo
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Source Wikipedia, World AquaticsLead sentence 3tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 3
It has been headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, since 1986, although a phased move to Budapest, Hungary, was under way through the mid-2020s.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, World Aquatics
Wikimedia FoundationFounding and early years (1896-1945) section
That changed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, the first Games held in a purpose-built 100-metre pool. On 19 July 1908, delegates from eight national federations-Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary and Sweden-met for around four-and-a-half hours at the Manchester Hotel in London and agreed to form a "world-wide swimming association".
- Governs: Swimming
View the Source Wikipedia, Water Polo
Aquatics GB (British Swimming), Wikipedia
Associated With: British Swimming, Wikipedia introduction, third paragraphQuote, Associated With: British Swimming, Wikipedia introduction, third paragraph
Aquatics GB is a member of World Aquatics, LEN, the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association
Wikipedia, USA Swimming
WikipediaAssociated With: USA Swimming, Rules sectionQuote, Associated With: USA Swimming, Rules section
These rules are guided by the international governing body for aquatic sports (World Aquatics).
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