Toronto will host the FINA Swimming World Cup for the first time in more than 20 years.
The Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre will welcome the world’s top swimmer in the second of the three-stop short-course swimming series Oct. 28-30.
“After the challenges of the past two years, to bring some of the best swimmers from around the world to Canada will no doubt be a fantastic opportunity for our community, and for new fans to experience the excitement of world-class racing as well,” said Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi.
The Pan Am Sports Centre was the swimming venue for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, plus two Olympic swimming trials.
“Every time a Canadian stepped on the blocks, it just got unbelievably loud,” two-time Olympian Yuri Kisil said of the Pan Ams. “I’m very excited for that, it’s such a fun atmosphere.”
The World Cup circuit kicks off in Berlin Oct. 21-23 and wraps up in Indianapolis Nov. 3-5.
“I look at World Cups as being a really cool, fast meet, with the best swimmers in the world meeting up. It being in Toronto is really, really cool,” Kisil said.
More than 750 athletes from 40 countries are expected to compete for an overall series prize pool of US$144,000.