As with previous editions, participating swimmers will square-off in 25m pools on five continents, beginning with Africa, and followed by Asia, Oceania, Europe, and then Americas. But this year, competitors face an agenda that will test their endurance, as all seven meets will take place in a time-span of a little over six weeks.
The World Championships Sports Network (WCSN) will provide free same-day coverage of the 2007 FINA Swimming World Cup. World-record holder Kate Ziegler is slated to compete in the event, while Olympian Natalie Coughlin and Randall Bal are expected to make appearances on the tour. The tour kicks of Oct. 19 in Durban, South Africa and will make stops in Singapore, Australia, Russia, Sweeden, and Germany before commencing in Brazil on Nov. 25. Quadruple gold medalist John Naber will provide commentation throughout the series.
2007 FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup Schedule
- October 19-20 in Durban (RSA)
- October 27-28 in Singapore (SIN)
- November 2-3 in Sydney (AUS)
- November 9-10 in Moscow (RUS)
- November 13-14 in Stockholm (SWE)
- November 17-18 in Berlin (GER)
- November 23-25 in Belo Horizonte (BRA)
Prize Money for Swimmers
The SWC has developed a reputation for drawing many of the best swimmers in the world who compete for significant cash prizes. A total of US$360,000 will be distributed to the winners, while an additional maximum of US$50,000 is reserved for world record breakers. The overall SWC winners receive US$100,000, while those placing second and third place overall receive US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively. But sums ranging from US$500 to US$1,500 are also distributed to the winners of each of the 34 races at all seven meets, which gives an additional amount of US$714,000 (US$102,000 per meet)Scoring System
For this year’s competitions, as with every other SWC series since the year 2000, the scoring system used to rank swimmers at each event of the series is based on the FINA Points Table. Swimmers are ranked just once for each meet regardless of the number of races they swim, and the ranking they are given is always based on their best swim.Overall, the progression of this event since the first “Swimming World Cup” in Tokyo (1979) has been impressive. Over the last 15 years, the competition’s rules, categories, and scoring methods have been continuously refined. Partnerships have expanded as more organising federations, sponsors, and swimmers decided to become involved around the world. This growing popularity has paid off. Now, because of the accumulated sales growth of Swimming World Cup television rights, the FINA Bureau has decided that for the next three years, each organiser will receive an additional US$15,000 per year. This additional funding will surely raise the level and value of this thrilling contest, reduce costs for the organisers, and eventually increase prize money.
About FINA: FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) is the world governing body for swimming. Their objectives include: to promote and encourage the development of Swimming, to provide drug free sport, to hold competitions in Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Synchronised Swimming, and Masters, to organize World Championships and other FINA competitions, and to promote the sport. For more on FINA please go to fina.org.
