World Aquatics
Swimming was already part of the competitions at the first Olympic Games in
1896, but it should still take 12 years until the founding of an
international federation.
During the 1908 Olympic Games in London an international conference took
place under the direction of the Organizing Committee on 19th of July at the
Manchester Hotel. The most important result was the agreement to find a
worldwide swimming organization.
The agreed tasks of this international organizations should be:
1. Creation of uniform rules for swimming, diving and water polo to be used
in Olympic Games and other international competitions.
2. Approval of world records and keep a world record list.
3. Organization of the swimming competitions at the Olympic Games.
The eight founding members of the
Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA)
were: BEL, DEN, FIN, FRA, GER, GBR, HUN and SWE. The national associations
of these countries bindingly declared the rules at a second conference on
01.08.1909 in Paris.
In the 1920s, a FINA office was established. The International Water Polo
Board and the International Diving Committee were created in 1928. Further
Technical Committees succeed after the World War 2: Swim Committee in 1954,
for Synchronized swimming in 1956, for Open water swimming in 1992 and some
others.
At the congress on 14.09.2000 the word „amateur‟ was deleted from the
name. The official notation is now Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA).
At the extraordinary congress on 12.12.2022 FINA adopted the new name World Aquatics.
Member federations
1908 8 member federations
1910 15 member federations
1930 44 member federations
1958 75 member federations
1978 106 member federations
2008 197 member federations
2020 209 member federations
Presidents
| 19.07.1908 - 21.07.1924 | no president |
| 21.07.1924 - 02.08.1928 | Erik Bergvall SWE |
| 02.08.1928 - 14.08.1932 | Émile-Georges Drigny FRA |
| 14.08.1932 - 16.08.1936 | Walther Binner GER |
| 16.08.1936 - 1940 | Harold E. Fern GBR |
| 1940 - 28.07.1948 | Harold E. Fern GBR, acting |
Since no congress could be held in 1940, Fern remained acting president. |
|
| 28.07.1948 - 03.08.1952 | René de Raeve BEL |
| 03.08.1952 - 08.12.1956 | Mario Luis Negri ARG |
| 08.12.1956 - 05.09.1960 | Jan de Vries NED |
| 05.09.1960 - 19.10.1964 | Richard Max Ritter USA |
| 19.10.1964 - 27.10.1968 | William Berge Phillips AUS |
| 27.10.1968 - 07.09.1972 | Javier Ostos Mora MEX |
| 07.09.1972 - 30.07.1976 | Dr. Harold W. Henning USA |
| 30.07.1976 - 31.07.1980 | Javier Ostos Mora MEX |
| 31.07.1980 - 25.07.1984 | Ante Lambaša YUG |
| 25.07.1984 - 16.09.1988 | Robert H. Helmick USA |
| 16.09.1988 - 24.07.2009 | Mustapha Larfaoui ALG |
| 24.07.2009 - 05.06.2021 | Julio César Maglione URU |
| 05.06.2021 - | Husain Al Musallam KUW |
Honorary Secretary
| 19.07.1908 - 02.08.1928 | George W. Hearn GBR |
| 02.08.1928 - 01.02.1941 🕆 | Dr. Leó Donáth HUN |
| 01.02.1941 - 14.06.1946 | Harold E. Fern GBR, acting |
| 14.06.1946 - 28.07.1948 | Richard Max Ritter USA, acting |
| 28.07.1948 - 03.08.1952 | Richard Max Ritter USA |
| 03.08.1952 - 05.09.1960 | Bertil Sällfors SWE |
| 05.09.1960 - 19.10.1964 | Kihou Abe JPN |
| 19.10.1964 - 27.10.1968 | Masaji Kiyokawa JPN |
| 27.10.1968 - 07.09.1972 | Dr. Harold W. Henning USA |
| 07.09.1972 - 30.07.1976 | Dr. Paul P. Hauch CAN |
| 30.07.1976 - 25.07.1984 | Robert H. Helmick USA |
| 25.07.1984 - 16.09.1988 | E. Allen Harvey CAN |
| 16.09.1988 - 22.07.1992 | Ross E. Wales USA |
| 22.07.1992 - 14.09.2000 | Gunnar Werner SWE |
| 14.09.2000 - 24.07.2009 | Bartolo Consolo ITA |
| 24.07.2009 - 22.07.2017 | Paolo Barelli ITA |
Thereafter, the honorary secretary was replaced by an unelected Executive Director.
World Aquatics Athletes of the Year
| Artistic swimmer - men | Artistic swimmer - women | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Natalya ISHCHENKO RUS | |
| 2011 | Natalya ISHCHENKO/ Svetlana ROMASHINA RUS | |
| 2012 | Natalya ISHCHENKO RUS | |
| 2013 | Svetlana ROMASHINA RUS | |
| 2014 | HUANG Xuechen CHN | |
| 2015 |
Bill MAY USA Aleksandr MALTSEV RUS |
Svetlana ROMASHINA RUS |
| 2016 | not awarded | Natalya ISHCHENKO/ Svetlana ROMASHINA RUS |
| 2017 | Giorgio MINISINI ITA | Svetlana KOLESNICHENKO RUS |
| 2018 | Giorgio MINISINI ITA | Yelyzaveta YAKHNO UKR |
| 2019 | Aleksandr MALTSEV RUS | Svetlana ROMASHINA/ Svetlana KOLESNICHENKO RUS |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | Aleksandr MALTSEV RUS | Svetlana ROMASHINA/ Svetlana KOLESNICHENKO RUS |
| 2022 | Giorgio MINISINI ITA | Yukiko INUI JPN |
| Diving - men | Diving - women | |
| 2010 | Patrick HAUSDING GER | CHEN Ruolin CHN |
| 2011 | QUI Bo CHN | WU Minxia CHN |
| 2012 | Ilya ZAKHAROV RUS | WU Minxia CHN |
| 2013 | HE Chong CHN | HE Zi CHN |
| 2014 | CAO Yuan CHN | LIU Huixia CHN |
| 2015 | HE Chao CHN | SHI Tingmao CHN |
| 2016 | CHEN Aisen CHN | SHI Tingmao CHN |
| 2017 | Thomas DALEY GBR | SHI Tingmao CHN |
| 2018 | CAO Yuan CHN | SHI Tingmao CHN |
| 2019 | XIE Siyi CHN | SHI Tingmao CHN |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | XIE Siyi CHN | SHI Tingmao CHN |
| 2022 | WANG Zongyuan CHN | CHEN Yuxi CHN |
| High diving - men | High diving - women | |
| 2013 | Orlando DUQUE COL | Cesilie CARLTON USA |
| 2014 | Orlando DUQUE COL | Rachelle SIMPSON USA |
| 2015 | Gary HUNT GBR | Rachelle SIMPSON USA |
| 2016 | Gary HUNT GBR | Lysanne RICHARD CAN |
| 2017 | Steven LoBUE USA | Rhiannan IFFLAND AUS |
| 2018 | Gary HUNT GBR | Rhiannan IFFLAND AUS |
| 2019 | Gary HUNT GBR | Rhiannan IFFLAND AUS |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | Owen WEYMOUTH GBR | Ellie SMART USA |
| 2022 | Aidan HESLOP GBR | Rhiannan IFFLAND AUS |
| Open water swimmer - men | Open water swimmer - women | |
| 2010 | Valerio CLERI ITA | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2011 | Thomas LURZ GER | Keri-Anne PAYNE GBR |
| 2012 | Oussama MELLOULI TUN | Éva RISZTOV HUN |
| 2013 | Thomas LURZ GER | Poliana OKIMOTO BRA |
| 2014 | Allan DO CARMO BRA | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2015 | Jordan WILLIMOVSKY USA | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2016 | Ferry WEERTMAN NED | Sharon VAN ROUWENDAAL NED |
| 2017 | Marc-Antoine OLIVIER FRA | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2018 | Ferry WEERTMAN NED | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2019 | Kristóf RASOVSZKY HUN | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | Florian WELLBROCK GER | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| 2022 | Gregorio PALTRINIERI ITA | Ana Marcela CUNHA BRA |
| Swimmer - men | Swimmer - women | |
| 2010 | Ryan LOCHTE USA | Therese ALSHAMMAR SWE |
| 2011 | Ryan LOCHTE USA | Melissa FRANKLIN USA |
| 2012 | Michael PHELPS USA | Melissa FRANKLIN USA |
| 2013 | Ryan LOCHTE USA | Katie LEDECKY USA |
| 2014 | Chad LE CLOS RSA | Katinka HOSSZÚ HUN |
| 2015 | Mitchell LARKIN AUS | Katinka HOSSZÚ HUN |
| 2016 | Michael PHELPS USA | Katinka HOSSZÚ HUN |
| 2017 | Caeleb DRESSEL USA | Sarah SJÖSTRÖM SWE |
| 2018 | Chad LE CLOS RSA | Katinka HOSSZÚ HUN |
| 2019 | Caeleb DRESSEL USA | Sarah SJÖSTRÖM SWE |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | Caeleb DRESSEL USA | Emma McKEON AUS |
| 2022 | David POPOVICI ROU | Katie LEDECKY USA |
| Water polo - men | Water polo - women | |
| 2010 | Vanja UDOVIČIĆ SRB | Elizabeth ARMSTRONG USA |
| 2011 | Filip FILIPOVIĆ SRB | Alexandra ASIMAKI GRE |
| 2012 | Josip PAVIĆ CRO | Maggie STEFFENS USA |
| 2013 | Dénes VARGA HUN | Jennifer PAREJA ESP |
| 2014 | Filip FILIPOVIĆ SRB | Maggie STEFFENS USA |
| 2015 | Živko GOCIĆ SRB | Maggie STEFFENS USA |
| 2016 | Dejan SAVIĆ SRB | USA Team |
| 2017 | CRO Team | USA Team |
| 2018 | HUN Team | USA Team |
| 2019 | ITA Team | USA Team |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | Filip FILIPOVIĆ SRB | Maggie STEFFENS USA |
| 2022 | Felipe PERRONE ESP | Madeline MUSSELMAN USA |
Last modified: 06.09.2023