FINA Prepared to Evolve Champions Swim Series; Support Athlete Professional Growth

Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) Pre-Race Ritual

After the FINA Champions Swim Series inaugural season’s last stop in Indianapolis, the FINA executives, athletes, and attending members met in a room to evaluate the series concept and discuss a way forward.

Cornel Marculescu, FINA Executive Director, started the discussion by thanking all in attendance and proceeded to ask for feedback from everyone on what could be done to improve the event in the coming years.

Marculescu gave a quick overview saying that China and Hungary provided governmental financial support for the first two stops of the series while USA Swimming provided technical support for the Indianapolis event. He said the Indianapolis venue was spectacular and the production value was excellent. Marculescu went on to express FINA’s desire to make the series more entertainment-centered and echoed a report that NBC was very happy with the televised version of the event.

Marculescu was candid when he said, “FINA will need to find additional sponsors going forward for future hosts. However, FINA was prepared to support the event on all levels”.

There was a desire to have the athletes lead the discussion and to offer opinions on the event concept, format, and calendar timing. Marculescu quickly pointed out that 2020 was an Olympic year and that FINA understood that the athlete’s focus would understandably be on the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The athletes were vocal in calling for a set schedule that clusters the Champions Swim Series closer together with less time zone changes. It was then proposed that FINA hold only two events in 2020 over a 7-day period and then perhaps in 2021 have four events cluster over two 7-day periods.

The discussion turned to creating more financial income and incentives for the athletes upon which Marculescu voiced a desire for the athletes to grow more financially secure as professionals.

In a spirit of cooperation, Marculescu said the rule for limiting athlete sponsorship signage and athlete sponsor logos did not apply to the FINA Champions Swim Series events. That acknowledgment seemed to come as “news” to the athletes causing a stir in the room.

With the revelation that the athletes would be allowed to secure more visibility for their own sponsors via the placement of logos on their uniforms, suits, and apparel (for Champions Swim Series events only), a new pathway was established for athletes to grow new income sources to help further their professional careers.

The meeting ended in an air of optimism where FINA appeared prepared to evolve with the athletes to create new event formats in an environment that centered on entertainment and professional growth for the athletes.

More Athlete Feedback From Champions Swim Series

After the Champion Swim Series concluded that evening the athletes offered the following feedback to FINA:

“The production quality of the Champions Swim Series is super high. It is amazing. Everything about this competition is top-notch. It is just really fun to race in this environment. The Champions Swim Series provides an additional avenue of exposure. You can get more sponsors for example and show your value to more people. It is fresh and fun and spectators have enjoyed themselves and that’s a huge benefit.” – Matt Grevers (USA)

“This new competition makes swimming looks like a professional sport and I think this format is really great in terms of making swimming more exciting and more accessible to viewers and young swimmers.” – Lilly King (USA)

“It is great to be part of this big change. The prize money distributed for this event is very good. I foresee to continue to take part as long as I can. I will have a long career in the sport thanks to this new opportunity.” – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)

“For me, this is the best training opportunity I can get, racing against the world’s best swimmers. It is really good preparation for the World Championships. I love the idea. Two-day event and only four swimmers, what a cool concept! This competition fits really well in the new landscape. Swimming is getting more popular and the image of the sport is slowly improving to attract more fans. Efforts are made to make it look more like a TV show.” – Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED)

“Honestly I am really happy that we have this new FINA Champions Swim Series because it is really the next level right now. It shows a big respect for high level athletes and I experienced really good competition in four lanes. It really is entertaining for people. I think FINA is listening to the athletes and we are going to make the Series even better for the next season. In Budapest, I saw a really nice new way of presenting the athletes’ entrance. The video background was great and the show was phenomenal.”” – Andrii Govorov (UKR)

“The new format of the Champions Swim Series is awesome and fun. A lot of the top swimmers of the world are coming together to spend time together and we all get to race. If next year’s Champions Swim Series fits in my preparation for the Olympics, I would love to take part again.” – Chase Kalisz (USA)

“I attended the meeting this morning with FINA and, first of all, this meeting was a big step in the right direction. It shows some willingness from FINA side to invite all of us athletes and honestly, I couldn’t be happier. It was a good meeting with good vibes, and everyone agrees that we need to take some steps forward for the sake of swimming. I am happy that I am here and that I am a part of this.” – Pernille Blume (DEN)

“It is a nice competition. It is more relaxed than the World Championships. Thank you FINA for organizing this new event. The innovation in sport is of utmost importance and the prize money is pretty good as well.” – Nicholas Santos (BRA)

“The new format of the competition makes it a little more exciting and more intense because fewer guys – greater opportunities to win, right? And I think it is a big step in the right direction for the sport. We are moving into the right direction so that’s good.” – Cody Miller (USA)

“I love the Champions Swim Series concept! The fact that we can swim next to the best swimmers in the world at the same time is so fun. We never have a big competition that is so fun with no pressure like this. It is just amazing to get out there and race. It is great that we get to race swimmers from different parts of the world. You get different energies from the pool. I think it is very important to have competition like this one because we want to have more opportunities to swim.

“It is nice to have a competition that shows how hard we work all year around. This is what we deserve and hopefully we can encourage more people to start watching swimming.” – Farida Osman (EGY)

“This competition is awesome, and I agree with what Cody Miller said, it is a step in the right direction. I think the athletes still don’t understand how much value we bring to the table as competitors and entertainers. It is cool to see that FINA is starting to recognize that and gives us the opportunity to race for real money.” – Michael Andrew (USA)

“The Champions Swim Series is really cool. Getting out of your comfort zone and doing things in a different format is just really good for preparing yourself to different stages. The sport presentation is really cool. I swam in Indianapolis numerous of times but I have never seen it look like this. The jumbo lights and everything is definitely exciting.” – Leah Smith (USA)

“This new four-lane style is really good. All swimmers like it. Hopefully next year it will be the same.” – Danas Rapsys (LTU)

NOTE: Athlete quotes provided by FINA Press Commission

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John Dussliere

4 years ago

This is a great and forward step in professional swimming. Feels very transparent as to whom is involved and whom is getting paid. There is nothing else like this.