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The International Swimming Federation will be renamed World Aquatics as part of a new constitution accepted at the organization’s Extraordinary General Congress. The new constitution, which is set to take effect in January of next year, was unanimously accepted at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, with 175 members voting in favor and four opposing it. Additional revisions to the constitution involve raising the number of Bureau members, with female representation increasing to 38%, and imposing a new term and age limits for the President.
FINA President Husain Al-Musallam described the new constitution and change in the name as the “most significant” milestone during his presidency. Martin Group, an American digital marketing business, was entrusted with rebranding the organization, with the new logo set to be unveiled later today evening. Several names for the 114-year-old governing body for the sport ‘Aquatics’ were proposed to athletes, coaches, and administrators. Out of which, the ‘World Aquatics’ emerged as the clear winner, according to Al-Musallam. The FINA president further stated, “It is a name that is easy to understand and keeps us in line with other International Federations and will represent our athletes.”
Read more: Swimming: Who are the Current Best Swimmers in the World?
Additionally, the number of committees will be decreased and a Business and Investment Committee and Remuneration Committee will likely be established. The next President of World Aquatics will be required to serve two terms, the first for eight years and the second for four years, under the revised constitution. The age limit for the organization’s leader has also been agreed upon: 75 years old. After receiving a letter from the Nordic Swimming Federation criticizing the idea, Michael Bernasconi, the chairman of the FINA Reform Committee, stated that the new term restrictions will bring “stability” to the International Federation.
The idea of changing the organization’s name was one of several recommendations given by FINA’s Reform Committee. The other notable constitutional changes include the opportunity for all 20 elected members of FINA’s Athletes’ Committee to vote at the organization’s Congresses, as well as the establishment of the Aquatics Integrity Unit beginning in January of next year. The Aquatics Integrity Unit was established at the Extraordinary General Congress last year, prior to the election of 24 officials in June.
