{"id":652816,"date":"2026-09-03T01:18:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=652816"},"modified":"2026-09-03T01:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:51:44","slug":"wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State"},"content":{"rendered":"

WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State<\/strong><\/p>\n

The waters of Western Australia are quickly becoming the latest home of Australian open water swimming with today\u2019s announcement that the Australian Open Water Championships will return to Bunbury in 2027 and 2028 co-inciding with the news that WA has secured the country\u2019s first endurance swimming hub – thanks to a $2.55 Million injection of funds from the WA Government.<\/p>\n

The Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Swim Festival are back in Bunbury\u2019s picturesque Koombana Bay from January 21 to 24, following a successful 2026 event that attracted more than 1000 swimmers, and in excess of 900 athletes from outside the South West region that generated more than $2.8 million in economic impact.<\/p>\n

Currently one of Australia\u2019s strongest regions for open water swimming, the return keeps the Championship and mass participation event in WA\u2019s South West region for a fifth year, with Bunbury already announced as the 2028 venue.<\/p>\n

WA has always been an open water mecca with the Rottnest Island Classic an annual go to for open water swimmers from around Australia and the first World Aquatics Open Water Championship swum in the Swan River in 1991 and won by the State\u2019s legendary marathon swimmer Shelley-Taylor Smith.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Koombana Bay, Bunbury, site of the 2027 Australian OW Champs Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia).<\/p><\/div>\n

Now it is synonymous with Paris Olympian and World Relay champion, local hero Kyle Lee<\/strong> \u2013 himself a Rottnest Island Channel winner \u2013 and a Bunbury local who along with Paris silver medallist and World Champion Moesha Johnson <\/strong>dominated this year\u2019s Australian Championships.<\/p>\n

Lee won the 5km and 10km double and spearheaded his North Shore, WA team to gold in the 4x1500m relay while Johnson (Miami, QLD) \u2013 now widely recognised as the world\u2019s No 1 female open water swimmer will be out to defend her 5km and 10m titles as well as the 3km knockout.<\/p>\n

Swimming Australia CEO Rob Woodhouse<\/strong> welcomed its return saying: \u201cWe are also pleased to return to Bunbury after the success of the 2026 event, and we hope the dolphins that joined our swimmers last time will welcome us back again in 2027 and 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n

While City of Bunbury Mayor, Jaysen Miguel<\/strong> said Bunbury was thrilled to once again welcome the nation\u2019s best open water swimmers to Koombana Bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 2026 event was an incredible success, drawing more than 1000 swimmers and delivering a significant boost to our local economy. Events like this shine a spotlight on Bunbury and the wider South West as a premier destination \u2013 not just for sport, but for our beautiful waterways, our hospitality and our community spirit,\u201d said Mayor Miguel.<\/p>\n

\"\"

NUMBER ONE: The world’s No 1 open water swimmer Moesha Johnson will be back in. Bunbury in 2027. \u00a0Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia)<\/p><\/div>\n

Koombana Bay\u2019s sheltered waters, our vibrant waterfront and the natural beauty of the South West make Bunbury the perfect stage for this event, and if the swimmers are lucky, our resident dolphins might just join them in the water again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Bunbury also confirmed as the 2028 host, we\u2019re proud to be cementing our reputation as the home of open water swimming in Western Australia, and we can\u2019t wait to welcome swimmers, their families and visitors back to our shores.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s first and only endurance swimming hub to be established in Perth<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Dolphins head open water coach Fernando Possenti<\/strong> has also welcomed the \u00a0$2.55 million investment from the WA Government to establish Australia’s first endurance hub to be based at the Western Australian Institute of Sport in partnership between WAIS, Swimming Australia and Swimming WA.<\/p>\n

Certainly a vital and timely injection to maintain Australia\u2019s capacity to develop world-class athletes such as WA\u2019s open water Olympian and World Championships medallist Kyle Lee.<\/p>\n

\"\"

DYNAMIC DUO: Fernando Possenti and Moesha Johnson Photo Courtesy Swimming Australia (Delly Carr).<\/p><\/div>\n

Strengthening Australia\u2019s capacity to develop world class athletes, the hub also continuing to \u00a0provide high-performance opportunities for para swimmers competing across other swimming disciplines.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing of this has come at a vital time for our sport. Open water is one of the sports identified as potentially not being part of 2032. Open water swimming is part of Australia\u2019s national identity and it is a sport we have been very successful in,\u201d Possenti said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now there is a younger generation dreaming of wearing the green and gold in open water for 2032 and today\u2019s announcement helps us to keep this dream alive.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Perth To Host 2027 Short Course Pool Nationals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And in another major coup today for WA, the 2027 Australian Short Course Pool Championships will be staged at the Perth High Performance Centre (Perth HPC), marking Western Australia\u2019s first National pool event since 2012, with around 500 swimmers expected to compete across three days in 2027 from September 29 to October 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are delighted to bring a national pool event back to Perth for the first time in more than a decade,\u201d Woodhouse said.\u201cPerth has a proud history of hosting Swimming Australia events, and we look forward to working with Venues West and Swimming WA to deliver next year\u2019s Australian Short Course Championships at the Perth HPC.<\/p>\n

The events are supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism Western Australia, with additional support from the City of Bunbury for the Australian Open Water Championships.<\/p>\n

CEO of Swimming WA, Emily Randall<\/strong> WA said: \u201cBunbury is the perfect place to host the Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Festival, bringing open water athletes from across the country together to swim in the beautiful waters in the South West region of WA.\u201d<\/p>\n

“It is very exciting to be hosting the Australian Short Course Championships in 2027 at the Perth High Performance Centre. One year out of LA 2028, WA athletes have the opportunity to compete against Australia’s best swimmers on home turf without the usual requirements to travel interstate.”<\/p>\n

Western Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment, The Hon. Samantha Rowe MLC,<\/strong> said securing both the Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Swim Festival in January 2027, as well as the Australian Short Course Championships later in the year, highlights WA\u2019s strength as a premier destination for world-class sporting events.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese events not only bring elite competition to Western Australia, but also attract thousands of visitors, spectators and support staff which deliver huge economic benefits to our tourism and hospitality sectors,\u201d said Rowe.<\/p>\n

“(We) are committed to building a diverse, year-round events calendar that prioritises supporting local jobs and businesses, drives visitation to our regional areas, and highlights the best of Western Australia to the world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State The waters of Western Australia are quickly becoming the latest home<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7938,"featured_media":635740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122075,10],"tags":[138294,135375,138295,127656,37721,13516,907,138296],"class_list":["post-652816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-oceania","category-world","tag-emily-randall","tag-fernando-possenti","tag-jaysen-miguel","tag-kyle-lee","tag-moesha-johnson","tag-rob-woodhouse","tag-shelley-taylor-smith","tag-the-hon-samantha-rowe-mlc"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nWA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State The waters of Western Australia are quickly becoming the latest home\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T08:18:32+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T08:51:44+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6\"},\"headline\":\"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T08:18:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-03T08:51:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\"},\"wordCount\":1140,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Emily Randall\",\"Fernando Possenti\",\"Jaysen Miguel\",\"Kyle Lee\",\"Moesha Johnson\",\"Rob Woodhouse\",\"Shelley Taylor-Smith\",\"The Hon. Samantha Rowe MLC\"],\"articleSection\":[\"-Home Slider\",\"Oceania\",\"World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\",\"name\":\"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State - Swimming World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T08:18:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-03T08:51:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"TOUCHDOWN:Kyle Lee touches home for North Coast WA in the 4x1500m relay, 2026 Australian OW Champs. Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia).\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"description\":\"The Global Leader in Aquatic News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Swimming World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6\",\"name\":\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\"},\"description\":\"Ian is a former News Ltd. Australia Olympic and Swimming correspondent through the 1970s and 80s, who became the first Swimming Australia Media Manager in 1991 and spent the next three decades working with coaches Don Talbot, Leigh Nugent, Alan Thompson and Jacco Verhaeren on the Australian Dolphins Swim Teams. Has attended every Olympic Games since his debut in LA in 1984 and Tokyo 2020 will be Ian's 10th Olympics. Awarded an OAM in 2019 for his services to Australian sport and the media. Father of 2004 Olympic swimming gold and silver medallist Brooke Hanson.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/ianhanson\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State - Swimming World","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State","og_description":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State The waters of Western Australia are quickly becoming the latest home","og_url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/","og_site_name":"Swimming World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","article_published_time":"2026-09-03T08:18:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-03T08:51:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@swimmingworld","twitter_site":"@swimmingworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/"},"author":{"name":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6"},"headline":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State","datePublished":"2026-09-03T08:18:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-03T08:51:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/"},"wordCount":1140,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Emily Randall","Fernando Possenti","Jaysen Miguel","Kyle Lee","Moesha Johnson","Rob Woodhouse","Shelley Taylor-Smith","The Hon. Samantha Rowe MLC"],"articleSection":["-Home Slider","Oceania","World"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/","name":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State - Swimming World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-03T08:18:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-03T08:51:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"TOUCHDOWN:Kyle Lee touches home for North Coast WA in the 4x1500m relay, 2026 Australian OW Champs. Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia)."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wa-to-host-2027-australian-open-water-and-short-course-nationals-in-a-major-coup-for-the-state\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"WA To Become The Home Of Australian Open Water Swimming In A Major $2.55 Million Coup For The State"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","name":"Swimming World","description":"The Global Leader in Aquatic News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Swimming World","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","width":1799,"height":900,"caption":"Swimming World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld","https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6","name":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg","caption":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent"},"description":"Ian is a former News Ltd. Australia Olympic and Swimming correspondent through the 1970s and 80s, who became the first Swimming Australia Media Manager in 1991 and spent the next three decades working with coaches Don Talbot, Leigh Nugent, Alan Thompson and Jacco Verhaeren on the Australian Dolphins Swim Teams. Has attended every Olympic Games since his debut in LA in 1984 and Tokyo 2020 will be Ian's 10th Olympics. Awarded an OAM in 2019 for his services to Australian sport and the media. Father of 2004 Olympic swimming gold and silver medallist Brooke Hanson.","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/ianhanson\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"TOUCHDOWN:Kyle Lee touches home for North Coast WA in the 4x1500m relay, 2026 Australian OW Champs. Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia).","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026_OWS_Mixed-Open-relay_NCA-Kyle-Lee-Finish-1112-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p56Jja-2JPi","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7938"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652816"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":652820,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652816\/revisions\/652820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}