Kirsty Coventry – Swimming (Zimbabwe)

Seven-time Olympic medallist (two gold, four silver, one bronze) and eight-time World Aquatics Championship medallist and former World Record holder

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Growing up in Zimbabwe, I had a dream as a 9-year-old girl to compete at the Olympic Games and win the gold medal in swimming.

What we are witnessing here today will allow many more young women and boys to have that same dream, and for it to come true. It’s really important for the youth of today to have those equal opportunities and to dream big.

As an African athlete, having opportunities availed to us, that will allow us to compete and have equal access is something that I really want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Congratulations and thank you for this opportunity. We look forward to the next 10-to-15 years to hand over an Olympic medal to a future Bahranian athlete.

 

Anthony Ervin – Swimming (United States of America)

Four-time Olympic medallist (three gold, one silver) and two-time World Aquatics Championship titlist

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How wonderful it is to be here for this announcement, this partnership for the centre of excellence. State-of-the-art facilities to exhibit, to compete in the aquatic sports – swimming, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, water polo and high diving. Poised at a regional centre that will draw in all the top talent. Not only for the region but perhaps for all the continents.

These facilities go beyond competition; they will have a deep impact on your community’s health and well-being.  Swimming is a life skill that can continue throughout your entire life.

And of course, the athletes. Coming here to this centre, with the best coaching and facilities with a university education will develop these athletes and give them the tools to help to continue to succeed throughout life.

Yes, Olympic medallists will be developed here. They will inspire a generation of sportspersons. But also, magnets of industry will emerge. As these athletes, these students, grow and start families of their own their children will ask them, “Where did you get your education? Where did they spend their formative years?” They will say, “Bahrain, a land of opportunity.”

 

Evangelia Platanioti – Artistic Swimming (Greece)

Two-time World Aquatics Championships -  Budapest 2022 bronze medallist in Solo Technical and Solo Free events, and Artistic Swimming World Cup – Super Final 2022 gold medallist in the Mixed Team Free Combination

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It's really important for artistic swimming to be included in this project, and I want to thank you for having that vision. Artistic swimming is a young sport. There is an excellent opportunity to grow the sport here and bring the level of artistic swimming athletes up.  

Artistic swimming is a dynamic sport that is changing; it is higher, faster, stronger and more artistic than ever before. This is a huge step for our sport, and for Bahrain as well.

 

Filip Filipovic – Water Polo (Serbia) 

Four-time Olympic medallist (two golds, two bronze), four-time World Aquatics medallist (two gold, one silver, one bronze) and eight-time World League Super Final gold medallist with the Serbian water polo team

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Water for us is everything. It's about our nature; we grow by the water and with the water.  I would really like to see water polo growing up in this region. I will do everything in my power to inspire the youth here to be part of this project and achieve this vision.

 

Dmitriy Balandin Swimming (Kazakhstan)

Swimming out of lane eight of the Rio 2016 Olympic Men’s 200m Breaststroke final, Balandin won not only his country’s first Olympic medal, he won gold. Also a three-time Asian Games and Summer Universiade winner

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As a swimmer, it is definitely an important sport. Whether you want to be a water polo player, artistic swimmer, or compete in athletics, you want to be healthy. If you want to be successful, you have to be healthy. And swimming can help.

Together, we will write the greatest part of our aquatic sports history.