World class senior level artistic swimmers will join the best novice athletes in Canada next June in Surrey, BC. One of ten stops on the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series, the Synchro Canada Open will be held in conjunction with the 2018 Canadian Espoir Synchronized Swimming Championships, May 30 to June 2, 2018 at the Surrey Sport and Leisure Centre pool.
The 2018 Synchro Canada Open will be the seventh stop on the FINA-sanctioned competition circuit that is in its second year. It has expanded to include ten countries in the series, from the original seven who held events in 2017. Canada joins China, France, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Slovakia, Spain, USA, and Uzbekistan as host countries.
The 2018 Canadian Espoir Synchronized Swimming Championships run from May 29 to June 3, 2018. More than 325 athletes and over 100 coaches and officials will converge on the city for the five-day event. The athletes will range in age from 11 to 15 and will come from across Canada to take part. The FINA World Series event will bring an additional 60+ participants to Surrey from many corners of the world.
“We are honoured to host the 2018 FINA Artistic Swimming World Series and the Canadian Espoir events at the Surrey Sport and Leisure Centre. This event is an excellent opportunity to showcase both the sport of Synchronized Swimming and the world-class facilities we have here in Surrey. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all athletes and guests coming to Surrey for this event” stated Surrey Mayor, Linda Hepner.
“Hosting these elite competitions with the best athletes from around the world is a first for Surrey and for synchronized swimming in British Columbia,” added RaeAnne Rose, President, Synchro BC. “Synchro BC has developed a tremendous local organizing committee for the event, led by Jennifer Keith and Renate White who both bring a wealth of experience and knowledge staging world-class sporting events. Together with our partners – the BC Aquasonics, Pacific Wave Synchro, and the City of Surrey – we have a tremendous opportunity for both athletes and our community to experience the best of our sport. We look forward to welcoming the world to our province and to Surrey”.
“We are truly excited to welcome many of the world’s best synchronized (artistic) swimming athletes to Canada and to Surrey,” said Jackie Buckingham, CEO of Synchro Canada. “Hosting this event alongside our Canadian Espoir Synchronized Swimming Championships will be inspirational for our young swimmers, while our senior Canadian team members will experience competition on the world stage in front of family and friends.”
Buckingham expects to see a strong international field in the 2018 Synchro Canada Open. “Now in its second year, national teams have been able to plan their training programs to fit into the competition schedule for the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series. With the 2018 Synchro America Open taking place the following week in Orange County, California, we hope to see many international competitors taking advantage of the proximity and timing to compete at both North American World Series events.”
World Series participants obtain points in each category (solo, duet, mixed duet and team) for the events where they compete for a total of $257,000 USD available in prize money at the conclusion of the ten-event series. To be eligible for prize money at the conclusion, the National Federation must have entered a solo, duet, mixed duet and/or team in four events in total, although different athletes may represent the country in different competitions. The World Series runs from March through June of 2018.
Recently renamed Artistic Swimming by FINA at its 2017 Congress, the sport is currently undergoing a rebranding process. Changing the name is intended to broaden the popularity of the discipline, and increase the awareness of its format, aligning it more closely to other judged sports like artistic gymnastics.