Pan Zhanle predicts ‘amazing support’ as Beijing named host of swimming worlds
Olympic champion expects ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ when China stages short-course World Aquatics Swimming Championships for third time
Beijing has been chosen as the host city for the 2026 edition of the short-course world swimming championships, it was revealed on Tuesday.
More than 1,000 athletes from over 200 countries and regions will descend on China’s capital for the six-day competition, according to an announcement at the World Aquatics General Congress in Singapore.
The annual championships, held in a 25-metre pool, will take place three years before Beijing hosts the World Aquatics Championships, contested in an Olympic-standard 50m pool.
Next year’s short-course edition adds another significant competition to the list of those held in China. The country will be staging the meet for a third time after doing so previously in Shanghai in 2006 and Hangzhou in 2018.
Officials said the championships would be organised in close cooperation with the China Swimming Association and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.
Zhou Jihong, the Chinese association’s president, said the governing body was “thrilled and deeply honoured to host the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2026 in Beijing, a city with a proud Olympic history and a passion for aquatic sports”.
“This prestigious competition brings together the world’s best swimmers, and with the remarkable number of world records broken at the last edition, we anticipate another great spectacle,” he added. “We look forward to welcoming swimming fans from around the globe and providing an unforgettable experience for all.”