After swimming, diving and water polo, artistic swimming is set to make its international debut in the Duna Arena, main venue of last year’s FINA World Championships. The 5th leg of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series Budapest Open will feature a handful of the greatest stars of the discipline including four-time world champion and the best artistic swimmer of 2017 Svetlana Kolesnichenko (RUS).

Though last year the magnificent – but temporary – venue of the artistic swimming event in the Varosliget took everyone’s breath, the current site also thrilled the participants of the World Series event in Budapest. The Duna Arena, many considering the best aquatic complex today, hosted the diving and swimming events during the 2017 Worlds and the facilities and the atmosphere created by the fans made the event memorable for thousands on site and millions in front of the TVs. Since then the building was reconstructed but in legacy mood it still offers the splendour and the ultramodern pool and other facilities it was loved for (in fact, the tribune’s capacity was cut back to 5,300 from 12,000). And of course, all the small tables with the mirrors have already been set up in the area last year served as the giant mixed zone – this time the beautiful young ladies can perfect their make-ups before the start.

Not less than 13 nations and 131 artistic swimmers will show up in the competition which lasts three days. Some of the discipline’s brightest stars arrived to the Hungarian capital, like Russia’s No 1. swimmer Svetlana Kolesnichenko who claimed four titles last year (both solo and duet golds). The ever-magic Russian team will also show its free routine but another much-awaited occasion is the premiere of the Ukrainian team’s new free routine. According to insiders, after their junior side performed the seniors’ Olympic routine last weekend in Samorin (SVK) at leg 4, now the senior team will come up with the new choreography for the first time. From a team which managed to make the World Championships podium for the first time in history in 2017 in team events, it’s a much-anticipated stage of the preparations.

Spain sent its free combination team to test their current shape, while Italy will line up Linda Cerruti and Constanza Ferro who collected a handful of medals in leg 4. 

At the press-conference before the event, State Secretary for Sport Dr Tunde Szabo – Olympic silver medallist swimmer in 1992 – underlined that “artistic swimming is a modern, dynamic and spectacular sport and this edition of the World Series would surely bring this discipline even closer to the spectators who already embraced it last year.”

The Vice Mayor of Budapest, Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that “last year’s World Championships have made such an impact that we can still feel that even today. This is what I call a long-lasting legacy which ensures a long-term profit for Hungary and for Budapest.” She added that it’s great to host another highly-ranked international meet in the Duna Arena.

Free live stream will be provided from each event, so stay tuned and watch the routines from Friday to Sunday on FINA TV!

 

FINA Artistic Swimming World Series, Leg 5, Budapest (HUN) – Official schedule 

Friday

11.00 Duet technical

17.00 Free Combination 

Saturday

10.00 Team technical

11.40 Solo technical

17.00 Highlights routine

18.20 Duet free

Sunday

10.00 Solo free

15.00 Team free

16.30 Gala