British Crowd Wows FINA Director, Key in Further Championship Bids

STRATFORD, United Kingdom, September 24. THE enthusiasm of the crowds at the London Olympics was undeniable. And the top guys took notice. Cornel Marculescu, the FINA executive director, recently applauded the excited spectators. He cited their enthusiasm as reasoning for London to host other major aquatic championships, as reported by Inside the Games.

The Aquatics Centre, built specifically for the London events as a permanent fixture, was one of the focal pieces of the games. Within its wave-like walls, spectators saw Michael Phelps win his 18th gold medal, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time.

“To get 18 golds from three Olympics is probably unachievable by anyone in our era, and I think that probably 100 years will pass before someone does that again,” Marculescu told Inside the Games. “It is historical to have someone at the Games doing what Phelps did.”

Apart from the incredible performances, the real reasoning behind returning to London is the British public.

“We had a great venue, and the most important thing for me was the British public, who were great fans of the sport, regardless of the winner,” he said. “The Aquatics Centre was consistently full, demonstrating that aquatics is one of Britain's favorite sports.”

Marculescu hopes the Aquatics Centre will host future events, such as the World Championships. Already, London has placed its bid to host the 2016 European Swimming Championships. The next World Championships London can host are in 2019. The deadline for the event bid is October 22, 2012.

The next three World Championships will be held in Barcelona, Kazan and Guadalajara.

Read the full story at: Inside the Games

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