Hangzhou welcomes world's aquatics family

The 5th FINA World Aquatics Convention 2018, one of the highest level gatherings in the world aquatics event calendar, was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from Dec 8 to 10.

With the participation of more than 1,000 delegates and sports representatives from over 170 countries and regions worldwide, the three-day event aimed to provide a platform on which the global aquatics family and business leaders came together to share best practices and encourage engagement in aquatic sports.

It was organized in conjunction with the 14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), to be held during Dec 11 to Dec 16.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Xu Liyi, mayor of Hangzhou, welcomed the guests and said that the convention is another important international gathering that has taken place in Hangzhou since the 2016 G20 Summit.

"I really believe the next three days will be very inspiring for the FINA delegates attending this Convention. The program is very attractive and many interesting topics are on the agenda," said FINA Executive Director Mr Cornel Marculescu.

Being optimistic about the Chinese market for aquatics, Marculescu hailed China's emphasis on swimming and hoped that the FINA could boost cooperation with the Chinese Swimming Association and other educational departments for swimming training courses so as to bring benefits to more Chinese children.

Other covered topics included the on and off-site fan experience at aquatics events, digital and social media, financing and anti-doping and development.

The convention also included a themed exhibition on aquatics and the FINA Swimming Coaches Golden Clinic, where some of the most respected coaches in the world shared their secrets about how to make swimming champions in the pool.