EA President and Bureau members present in Budapest for groundbreaking ceremony of World Aquatics’ new HQ
World Aquatics today marked a milestone with the groundbreaking of its headquarters in Budapest at a ceremony where European Aquatics President Antonio Silva joined his World Aquatics counterpart Husain Al-Musallam.
Also present to witness this historic step for aquatics were a number of senior EA figures – Bureau members Vanja Udovicic of Serbia, Camelia Potec of Romania and Hungary’s Norbert Madaras and Sandor Wladar, along with Hungary’s Tamas Molnar, vice-chair of the EA’s Technical Water Polo Committee.
“With this groundbreaking here we are witnessing the first important milestone for the future of World Aquatics,” Silva told European Aquatics.
“And it’s really important because in the same period we just decided at our Congress in Tbilisi to move our headquarters from Nyon to Belgrade in Serbia.
“So it will be a two and a half-hour drive from one headquarters to another, which is good for the future of aquatics.”
According to WA, the relocation from Lausanne, its home since 2018, to the Hungarian capital: “represents an exciting new chapter for aquatics in a city with a rich sporting heritage and a bright future, including Budapest again hosting the World Aquatics Championships in 2027.”
The decision to switch to Budapest – which hosted the 2017 and 2022 editions of the WA Championships – was taken at the WA General Congress in July 2023.
The new home, for which the foundation stone was laid, will feature not only World Aquatics’ main office but also a “state-of-the-art global aquatics training centre.”
According to a World Aquatics release: “The privately funded project is developed by Southblaze Ltd., which is creating a complex worthy of serving as the international centre of aquatic sports.
“Covering nearly 20,000 square meters, the facility will include a world-class training centre, athlete accommodations, office functions, and the federation’s headquarters.
“From this new base, World Aquatics will oversee the worldwide governance of swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming and high diving.
“The goal is to create a timeless, multifunctional complex that reflects both the spirit of the Hungarian nation and World Aquatics – blending tradition and innovation, past and present, in the service of a sustainable future…
“The new headquarters is expected to be completed by mid-2028.”
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
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