World Aquatics announced Netanya, Israel as host for World Junior Championships

The World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships is slated to take place in Netanya, Israel, from September 4 to September 9, 2023. The World Aquatics made the announcement on February 21, 2023, on the Israeli city hosting the tournament. There will likely be more than 600 promising young swimmers competing from more than 100 National Federations. The six-day competition will be held at the Wingate Institute, a sports training institute located south of Netanya. The facility is designed specifically for hosting world-class worldwide swimming competitions. The Israel’s National Centre for Physical Education and Sport comprises a 50-meter competition pool and a 50-meter training pool. Teams and spectators will find Netanya and the competition venue to be the perfect locations given that Tel Aviv is only 30 kilometers up the northern coast from them.

When was the most recent edition of the World Junior Swimming Championships?

The World Junior Swimming Championships most recent event was held in Lima, Peru, last year. Japan topped the medal tally with 19 medals, including seven gold, eight silver and four bronze medals. Nine new world junior swimming championship records and one new world junior record were set by athletes during the event. This also included several world-class performances in the capital of Peru. Among those who created history were reigning World Record holder David Popovici of Romania, who set a Championship Record in the same event, and Diogo Matos Ribeiro of Portugal, who set a World Junior Record in the 50m butterfly.

Read more: FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships 2022: Results

What Israel’s Olympian, Anastasia Gorbenko, had to say

Anastasia Gorbenko, the Israeli Olympic swimmer and double gold medalist at the World Swimming Championships (25m) in Abu Dhabi in 2021 was overjoyed to learn that her country will host this renowned World Aquatics event for the first time. “Coming from Israel, it’s pretty cool to hear that Netanya will hold the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships,” Gorbenko said. “I take pride in hearing that my country will host this major event. As a junior swimmer, I was focused on getting faster, seeing where I stack up against the world’s best at your same age and travelling the globe. What’s even better is the opportunity to show your friends and competitors the place where you call home. I’m sure the athletes will enjoy competing in Netanya as well as find some fun outside the pool in this beautiful, sports-loving city,” she further added.

History of the World Championships

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted the inaugural World Aquatics World Junior Swimming Championships in 2006.  The biannual event has been subsequently held since then. Monterrey, Mexico in 2008, Lima, Peru in 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2013, Singapore (SGP) in 2015, Indianapolis, USA in 2017, Budapest, Hungary (HUN) in 2019, and Lima, Peru (PER) in 2022 have hosted the prestigious tournament previously. The United States (180) has won the maximum medals in the tournament with 70 gold, 58 silver and 58 bronze medals. Russia and Australia are placed second and third position respectively.

Read more: Swimming Governing Body FINA changes its name to ‘World Aquatics’