Three European cities… Berlin (Germany), Athens (Greece) and Budapest (Hungary) would later this year play host to World Aquatics organized Swimming World Cup 2023. World Aquatics in a release made available to the media disclosed that the events would run from October 6-22. Berlin would host the first leg from October 6-8, while Athens and Hungary would take their turn from October 13-15 and October 20-22 respectively. World Aquatics further revealed that the three events – Berlin, Athens and Budapest – will be part of the qualification pathway for next year’s Olympic Games holding in Paris. The World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023 will visit three European cities over three consecutive weeks with three days of action-packed long course (50m) racing at each stop this October. The compact event series kicks off again in Berlin (GER) from 6-8 October before heading to Athens (GRE) from 13-15 October and finishing off in Budapest (HUN) from 20-22 October. The upcoming World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023 season begins in familiar Berlin where the German capital has held 18 events since 2000. German freestyle distance ace Florian Wellbrock called racing at home last year’s “emotional highlight” during a season where the 25-year-old Olympic champion took home five medals – including two gold – from the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary “The World Cup in Berlin offers our German athletes the wonderful opportunity to race against the international competition on the way to Paris in front of our home fans.

We want to use this home advantage and get the necessary momentum for the following challenges,” said DSV sports director Christian Hansmann. From Germany, the series heads to Athens, Greece as the country hosts its first-ever Swimming World Cup event. The birthplace of the modern Olympiad, hosting the Swimming World Cup solidifies the return of major international sports events to the Greek capital city. From Athens, the series heads to the iconic Duna Arena venue in Budapest, Hungary. Fresh off hosting the World Aquatics Championships twice in six years, the aquatics hotbed has held three Swimming World Cups (2021, 2019, 2018) and the Champions Swim Series in 2019 Count World Record holder Kristof Milak among those targeting a return to Duna Arena. “For me, it’s always special to swim in the Duna Arena at a highlighted international meet. I have only fond memories of racing in this palace, I consider lane four my second home. I broke the world record last year here, won world titles, European titles,” Milak said. “I also train here every day, so being part of World Cup action once more in the Arena will be fabulous. I can’t wait to compete in front of our home crowd, our fantastic fans, that’s really unique and uplifting. The 2023 edition of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup slots into the global swimming calendar between the World Aquatics Championships – Fukuoka 2023 (14-30 July) and the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 (2-18 February). With this year’s Swimming World Cup leading into both the Doha 2024 Worlds as well as the Paris 2024 Olympics (26 July – 11 August), the three competition venues will use the 50m long course pool. The three events – Berlin, Athens and Budapest – will be part of the qualification pathway for next year’s Olympic Games The electric atmosphere aided athletes as they set two World Records, five World Junior Records and six Meet Records in the Swimming World Cup 2022 series. The first night of the weekend last year came to be known as Sell-Out Saturdays as fans packed the stands to watch hard-fought but friendly rivalries play out in the pool. In addition to swimmers competing for the overall Swimming World Cup title along with prize money at each meet, this year’s World Cup will see the return of “The Crowns.”

Athletes winning the same event at all three meets of the series will receive additional prize money and a circular ornament to wear marking their achievement. Introduced at last year’s Swimming World Cup, eighteen crowns were earned in 2022. Look for stacked fields as athletes say the Swimming World Cup is a can’t-miss event “Racing with joy is the most electric feeling and it’s easy to do when surrounded by such kind friends and fierce competitors,” said USA’s Beata Nelson, winner of the Swimming World Cup 2022’s overall women’s crown. Added Italy’s Thomas Ceccon after completing last year’s Swimming World Cup: “These three weeks have left a mark on my life. It’s always a pleasure to race the best athletes in the world. I want to thank World Aquatics for inviting me and organizing these events. It was a great experience and I hope to be back soon.

Take Eagles to Onikan waterfront and see Osimhen, others dazzle

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been urged to dump the Abuja National Stadium and bring Eagles to the Onikan waterfront in Lagos if Nigerians must see Super Eagles at their best. A former First Bank of Lagos shot stopper, Belock Zuokemefa who spoke on the Eagles poor run especially at home said the biggest challenge of the team is that they come home to play on a turf that is not in any close to what they are used to out there in Europe in their various clubs. “In Lagos the Lagos state government has upgraded the Mobolaji Johnson Arena (Onikan waterfront). Yes, it is a compact arena but it has one of the best pitches in the country at the moment. The pitch is an hybrid synthetic pitch approved by FIFA/CAF for professional games which our boys would be quite comfortable playing on. It is not a 100% rubber artificial turf pitch that is associated with turf toe injuries and over heating and that point need to be emphasized. We must learn to make use of the very best of whatever we have as a country. If Eagles are taken there in September we would see Osimhen and co doing for Nigeria the way they do it for their clubs in Europe,” Zuekemefa said. It is recalled that coaches and players from different parts of Africa were full of praise for the Onikan turf during the Aisha Buhari tournament that was played there with South African coach describing it as the best playing surface in Nigeria. The MJA arena has since after the tournament been largely under utilized as only Kwara United recently used it to prosecute their CAF continental games. We must always remember that Nations Cup qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers are all CAF competitions just like the continental games.