Lausanne (SUI), September 15, 2010 – After the United States, Russia, Canada and Japan, China is the fifth nation to host the FINA Synchronised Swimming World Cup, due to take place in Changshu, Jiangsu Province (CHN), from September 16-19, 2010.
174 athletes from 24 countries will perform at their best in four events: Solo, Duet and Team – which are divided into Technical and Free Routines – while the Combination makes its second appearance on the World Cup programme. There will be preliminaries for Solo, Duet and Team; Combination is held as finals.
Russia, Ukraine, Japan, USA, Italy, Canada and China are the countries with the most athletes in this four-day elite-level competition, which is held every four years in September.
Russia, Spain and Japan start favourite in Changshu, all three having occupied the podium in the four events at the last edition of the World Cup, in Yokohama (JPN) in 2006. Competition will be fierce, with host China being a strong contender in the discipline since its prowess at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and other consistent nations, such as the United States, Ukraine, Brazil, Great Britain and Italy, which also have solid assets to make their mark at the World Cup.