European Aquatics hosts second successful Athlete Social Media Webinar
On 17 September 2025, European Aquatics staged the second edition of its Social Media and Personal Branding of Athletes | Media Webinar, bringing together athletes and experts to explore how personal image, storytelling, and digital presence can play a defining role in modern sport. Following the success of the inaugural event in February, the latest session attracted strong interest from across the continent, with nearly 200 registrations.
The programme opened with words of welcome from European Aquatics President Antonio Silva, presenter and broadcaster Nick Hope, and European Aquatics Communications Director Nick Davies, before moving into a series of presentations and discussions. Hope guided athletes through the art of media messaging, stressing how passion, clarity, and body language can transform an interview from routine to memorable.
His advice emphasised preparation and positivity, encouraging athletes to find their own voice and use it with confidence. European Aquatics’ Head of Digital Content, Andreas Georgiou, then shifted the focus to social media, outlining practical ways to grow audiences and connect with communities online. He highlighted the power of video, the importance of consistent engagement, and the value of collaboration with federations and sponsors, while cautioning against repetitive or low-quality content that risks diluting an athlete’s brand.
Adding a real-world dimension to these insights were the contributions of three accomplished athletes: Germany’s Leonie Beck, a three-time open water swimming world champion; Spain’s Emma Garcia, a two-time artistic swimming world medallist; and Hungary’s Krisztián Manhercz, a water polo world champion. Each shared their own experiences of building a profile while balancing the demands of training and competition, keeping sponsors engaged, and working with coaches to manage media requests. Their stories underlined that while strategies differ, authenticity and consistency are key to building lasting trust with fans and partners alike.
The event concluded with an extended Q&A session, giving participants the opportunity to put their own questions to the panel.
Reflecting after the webinar, Hope summed up the atmosphere and impact of the event.
“What I love about hosting these sessions is that they can genuinely make a difference to those who join us live, or on catch-up later online,” he said. “Like during our first webinar in February, we again heard from a host of leading social influencing athletes as well as industry experts, but this time we had more opportunity to dive deeper into key topics around brand building, interview techniques and social media approaches. Personally, one of my biggest highlights was witnessing the engagement during the Q&A segment. It proved not only how important the sessions are, but how thought-provoking the topic matter can be.
“People have questions and they’re often unsure how to attain answers from trusted sources. The EA (European Aquatics) Academy platform is a safe space to ask them and receive expert insights after doing so. This was just the second edition and what’s really exciting is how much potential there is to continue growing this academy platform for social media and brand building, but also a host of other areas connected to the European Aquatics community.”
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
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