TORONTO – Canada will host its first FINA Swimming World Cup event in more than 20 years as international swimming returns to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in October.

Toronto will be the second of a three-stop tour this fall, as the short-course swimming series touches down at TPASC, which has welcomed such major events as the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, and two Olympic Swimming Trials. The fall cluster kicks off in Berlin Oct. 21-23 before heading to Toronto Oct. 28-30 and wrapping 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. I was at the Pan Am Games in 2015 here and every time a Canadian stepped on the blocks, it just got unbelievably loud. I’m very excited for that, it’s such a fun atmosphere,” said two-time Olympian Yuri Kisil, who last competed at World Cups in 2014.

“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,” added Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi.

“We would like to thank our partners at FINA for this chance for Canadians to see high-level swimming in person. We look forward to collaborating with FINA, and the other World Cup hosts, as Canadians compete against top swimmers from around the world in an exciting short-course format.”

The World Cup will be one of two FINA swimming events in Canada this year. La Traversée internationale du Lac-Mégantic will host the third leg of the open water FINA Marathon Swim World Series 2022, Aug. 26-28.

“FINA World Cups are an amazing event. I love competing against international competition and to have it hosted in Toronto, our home pool, is an incredible opportunity for us to showcase our abilities in front of a home crowd,” said Javier Acevedo, a two-time Olympian and 2015 World Cup competitor who grew up about five minutes away from the TPASC pool in Scarborough.

“It means the world to have this event hosted here. Canada loves swimming and everyone in Canada knows how good we are. To have international competition racing against us here and to have Canadians be able to watch that here in Toronto will be an incredible opportunity.”

The 2022 edition of the FINA Swimming World Cup slots into the international swimming competition calendar after the 19^th FINA World Championships June 18 – July 3 in Budapest. All three legs of the series will be qualifiers for the 16^th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) set for December.

In addition to the 13^th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), which were held in Windsor, Ont., in 2016, other major FINA pool events Canada has hosted in recent years include the 11^th FINA World Championships (Montreal, 2005) and the FINA Swimming World Cup (Edmonton, 2001)

“We are excited to be hosting an international event again. To hold the first FINA pool event in Canada since the 2016 World Swimming Championships, in the pool that hosted Pan Ams, is a perfect way to showcase swimming in Canada,” said Swimming Canada President Mary C. Lyne. “The excitement and reach this will bring to the swimming community is a major plus as we continue to build enthusiasm for our sport.”

More than 750 athletes from 40 countries are expected to compete for an overall series prize pool of USD 144,000.

“The FINA Swimming World Cup event series has always been a great opportunity for fast racing,” said Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson. “We look forward to seeing our Canadian athletes race in Toronto this October. We hope to see the best racing the best from around the world, and the event also provides our Canadian athletes with an international racing opportunity here in Canada.”

“Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre is proud that our facility will be part of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2022 calendar. We would like to thank Swimming Canada for their continued support and confidence in our ability to host world-class swimming competitions. As part of the ongoing legacy of the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, we are excited to bring a major international competition to our community,” added Robert Singleton, Managing Director, Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Inc.