Tony Azevedo, Jessica Hardy Lead Aquatic Games Clinic, Tournament

This June, the Aquatic Games — an elite Olympic-style aquatics tournament created by 5-time water polo Olympian Tony Azevedo — will return to Long Beach. Aside from water polo for 11U (co-ed) and 13 (boys/girls/co-ed), the event will also feature swimming for athletes ages 11 – 16, led by Olympic Coach David Salo & Olympic Gold Medalists Jessica Hardy and Jason Lezak.

The Games go a step beyond other youth tournaments by recruiting individuals from around the world to join All Star teams, coached by Olympians or Olympic coaches. These individuals receive personalized feedback throughout the tournament and have the chance to interact with Olympians both in and out of the pool.

This year the Games will take place at Long Beach State University, with the option for athletes to stay overnight in the dorms and tour the campus.

The water polo side features two 2-hour clinics with Tony Azevedo & other Olympians. For swimming, there will be multiple in-water portions working on skills and technique, as well as sessions aerobically focused by skillset. The first training will be led by Olympic National Team Coach Dave Salo. The event will conclude with relays where swimming athletes can showcase what they have learned alongside teammates from around the globe.

Says Hardy, ”I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Tony, Jason, Dave & others with such a refreshing take on a swim and water polo camp. We are looking forward to offering an athletic experience to help grow both water polo and swimming, in and out of the pool. I wish that I had had an opportunity like this when I was growing up!”

All athletes will participate in a three-hour educational series with seminars on college recruiting, sports psychology, injury prevention and physical therapy. There will also be additional speeches on goal setting, understanding the female athlete and team building with Tony Azevedo, Jessica Hardy, Jason Lezak and 2X water polo gold medalist Kami Craig.

The Event’s Olympic-like atmosphere should inspire young athletes to continue to pursue water polo and swimming, and will educate them on the opportunities that these sports can provide in college and beyond. “My goal is to create something different — an international event that will encourage athletes to experience and adapt to new styles of play. Playing and training with the same teammates over and over again can lead to complacency and doesn’t allow for truly innovative growth and development for young athletes”, says Azevedo.

The Games also promote fun, friendship, and team bonding. Participants will enjoy a festive atmosphere, on-deck vendors and out-of-the-pool activities on and around campus.

Within the next two years, Tony & team plan to incorporate other aquatic sports into the Games. The idea is to grow the Event as the City of Long Beach moves closer to hosting the aquatic portion of the LA 2028 Olympic Games. Learn more at www.theaquaticgames.com.