11 Nations Gear Up for Open-Water Fin Swimming World Championship in Alamein

Event Overview

Egypt is set to host the 20th World Open Water Fin Swimming Championships for juniors and the 23rd edition for men and women, from October 7 to 12, 2025, at Porto Marina in Alamein along the Mediterranean coast.

A total of 190 swimmers from 11 nations will compete: Chile, Chinese Taipei, Italy, Colombia, Turkey, France, the Czech Republic, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, and a group of neutral athletes registered under the International Federation.

History, Venue, and Participants

Fin swimming originated in Europe in the 1930s with the invention of the first rubber fins. In 1951, Italian Luigi Ferraro organized the first sea race using fins on the Genoa coast. The 1950s and 1960s saw the establishment of the first European and world championships, with the sport making its World Championship debut in Hanover, Germany, in 1976 and joining the World Games in 1981. The sport features four techniques: double-fin surface swimming, monofin surface swimming, free-diving with fins, and underwater diving using dual fins.

The Alamein venue offers clean Mediterranean waters and mild October temperatures around 27°C, with a modern sports and tourism infrastructure. Porto Marina is about 100 kilometers west of Alexandria and provides wide sandy beaches and luxury hotels, while the region has improved roads and sea facilities to welcome delegations and athletes from around the world.

Preparation, Goals, and Impact

Egypt will field 34 athletes (18 men, 16 women), coached by the national team staff led by head coach Sherif Habib, with assistants Pasher Aba Zaid, Mahmoud Nael, Abdullah Abdel-Jaleel, and Khaled Ibrahim; Dr. Moataz Zain El-Din oversees physical preparation and Hytham Mehanni handles administration.

The world finswimming championship is a key event on the International Federation calendar, featuring distances of 1 km, 5 km, 10 km and team races. The event aims to deepen international cooperation, raise performance, and promote water sports as part of Egypt's sports tourism strategy on the Mediterranean coast. Egypt's federation president confirmed readiness to deliver a distinguished edition worthy of its water-sports heritage.

Organizers have held preparatory meetings to coordinate race courses, start and finish points at sea, safety boats, medical teams, the podium, warm-up areas, and athlete transport from Cairo and Borg El Arab airports to Alamein Marina. An internal training camp in Alexandria prepared the national team for open-water conditions and strategic planning.

The competition is expected to see France, Italy, and Greece among the strongest contenders, with longer-distance finals emphasizing endurance and currents near Alamein testing navigation and tactical skills. The event is expected to boost sports tourism, attracting over 500 visitors and encouraging investments in new aquatic facilities along the coast as part of Egypt's 2030 plan to diversify the economy away from oil.

And now the punchlines: If fins were fashion, these swimmers would win every runway on the sea. Also, watch out for the currents—they're like plot twists, except that you actually need to swim through them.