On February 15, Kristina Panasenko of Kyrgyzstan was the first ever athlete to integrate the latest FINA approved Development Centre in Kazan, Russia, the city that successfully hosted the 16th FINA World Championships in 2015.

Kristina Panasenko, 16, who specialises in breaststroke, is a member of the Kyrgyz national swimming team and has taken part in the FINA World Championships in Budapest (HUN) in July 2017 as well as the Asian Championships in 2016 in Tokyo (JPN).

33.89 for a 50m breast (25m pool) and 1:13.73 (25m pool) for a 100m breast race are Kristina’s best times so far.

Athletes are welcome in Kazan by the local FINA Development Centre coordinators as transport, accommodation and meals are fully organised and financed by FINA and the local administration of the complex.

The programme’s participants will stay in a new ideally-located campus as fully-equipped double rooms are provided. The distance from the campus to the sports complex and the swimming pool is no more than 300m.

In addition to the strict training agenda, the young talents will be offered some cultural and educational activities such as language lessons and own brand management courses. Sporting events and outdoors activities complete the comprehensive care support.

To find out more about the Kazan Development Centre please look at the brochure here

Kristina Panasenko will be joined in the weeks to come by Giorgi Biganishvili (GEO), 21, Arina Baikova (LAT), 18, Nichita Bortnikov (MDA), 16, Ado Gargovic (MNE), 20, Mi Song Pak (PRK), 17, and Bisma Khan (PAK), 17.

Besides that, the FINA Development Center is also aimed to become a hub for Aquatics education and a reference for all National Federations to learn from the best.

The FINA Development Centre is located at the Olympiets Sports Complex of the Kazan Olympic Reserve School. The venue was commissioned in 2013 and a swimming pool was built there in 2015.

Kazan is the “Sports Capital” of Russia and has hosted about a hundred World and European championships, World Cups and Russian high-profile competitions in various sports. In 2013, the city hosted 27th Summer Universiade.

Since 2014 the following aquatic events have been hosted: FINA High Diving World Cup, World Junior Diving and Artistic Swimming Championships, stages of the FINA Swimming World Cup and the FINA Diving World Series are held annually.

VIDEO about the brand new Kazan Centre