Finswimming is one of the most exciting water sport ever. Finswimming is a sport belonging to the aquatic specialties which, using specific equipment (monofin, fins, snorkel or cylinders) allows the athlete to reach much higher speeds than swimming. There are indoor (swimming pools) and open water (sea, lake, rivers) championships.

To which federation belongs Finswimming?

The international federation to which fin swimming belongs is CMAS, the Confédération Mondial des Activités Subaquatiques, which is part of the ARISF, and is a discipline recognized by the IOC.

Is there an age limit to join Finswimming?

Finswimming is suitable for any age . In fact, there are competitions for very young people, for children and adults and for veterans, over 25 years old.

How can I find a Finswimming club?

You can find Finswimming clubs easily, just looking on the internet.

How can i stay updated with Finswimming News?

Finswimmer Magazine is the most comprehensive web site about Finswimming in which you can find events, updates and everything about Finswimming.

2026 FISU World University Championship Finswimming: Sharm El-Sheikh Set for October

The 2026 FISU World University Championship Finswimming will finally take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from October 26 to 30, bringing together university student-athletes from around the world for one of the most important events on the international finswimming calendar.

Originally scheduled for April 10–11, 2026, the championship was postponed because of growing security concerns in the Middle East. FISU announced that, following continued monitoring and consultation with the Organising Committee, the event would be postponed. The competition has now been rescheduled for late October.

Location: Sharm El Sheikh, Ras Umm Sid, Governatorato del Sinai del Sud, 46619, Egitto

The updated CMAS calendar lists October 26–30 as the event period, while FISU’s competition page identifies October 28–29 as the two competition days.

A championship with a growing history

Finswimming has been a FISU Recognised Sport since 2018 and officially entered the FISU sport programme in 2020. The first University World Cup in finswimming was held in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, in 2022, attracting 90 athletes from 15 countries.

The 2024 edition in Pereira, Colombia, adopted the World University Championship format, allowing athletes to represent their countries rather than their universities. That edition featured 111 athletes from 16 countries and produced numerous new FISU records.

The Sharm El-Sheikh edition therefore represents the third major FISU finswimming event and the second championship contested under the current format.

Sharm El-Sheikh and the Red Sea

Sharm El-Sheikh provides a particularly distinctive setting for a university world championship. The Egyptian resort city is internationally known for its Red Sea coastline, coral reefs and diving environment, while attractions such as Ras Mohammed National Park, Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine Monastery offer athletes and delegations opportunities to experience the region beyond the pool.

The original event bulletin highlighted Egypt’s warm climate, aquatic-sport infrastructure and international accessibility as advantages for hosting the championship.

The competition will be staged at the Sharm El Sheikh Youth City – Olympic Pool Complex, according to the current FISU event website. The venue features a 50-metre Olympic pool with 10 lanes and equipment designed for international competition, including an OMEGA timing system and scoreboard.

The technical handbook specifies that the competition pool must be 50 metres long, with a minimum width of 21 metres and a minimum depth of 1.80 metres. A separate training venue of at least 25 metres is also required.

A full CMAS finswimming programme

The championship will follow the most recent CMAS Technical Regulations. The programme combines surface, bi-fins and mixed-relay events.

The individual programme includes:

50m Apnoea (AP)
100m Surface (SF)
200m Surface (SF)
400m Surface (SF)
800m Surface (SF)
50m Bi-Fins (BF)
100m Bi-Fins (BF)
200m Bi-Fins (BF)
400m Bi-Fins (BF)

The relay programme includes 4×50m and 4×100m Surface and 4×50m and 4×100m Bi-Fins mixed relays. Each mixed relay consists of four athletes—two men and two women—with the starting order M–W–M–W.

The regulations allow athletes to compete in both individual and mixed-relay events without a restriction on the number of disciplines or relays in which they can be entered, subject to the overall delegation limits. Up to two athletes per gender may be entered in each individual discipline, while each country may enter up to two teams in each mixed relay.

An interesting feature of the championship is the possibility of FISU Teams. Athletes from different countries can be randomly combined on site to form mixed relay teams. These teams can compete for experience and participation, although they are not included in the official standings and cannot win medals.

Two days of racing

As with previous FISU finswimming championships, the competition itself will be concentrated into two days. The technical handbook establishes a two-day competition format, surrounded by arrival, training, technical meetings and ceremonies.

According to the updated event schedule, delegations will arrive and register on October 25–26, with official training and technical meetings scheduled for October 27. The Opening Ceremony and first competition day are scheduled for October 28, followed by the second competition day and Closing Ceremony on October 29. Departure is scheduled for October 30.

The exact daily racing programme will be confirmed through the final competition documentation.

International field and high-level officiating

The championship is designed to combine FISU university-sport standards with the technical framework of CMAS finswimming.

A total of six International Technical Officials are required: a Chief Judge, Starter, Speaker, Pre-Start Judge and two Style Judges. They are appointed by CMAS with the endorsement of FISU. A further 21 National Technical Officials are specified in the handbook, including timekeepers, turning judges, assistant style judges and finish judges.
The technical handbook also places considerable emphasis on sport presentation. Athlete introductions, commentary, music, live announcements and audience engagement are all considered part of transforming the championship from a simple competition into a major university-sport event.

From April to October: a very different championship context

The postponement has significantly changed the position of the event within the 2026 finswimming calendar.

The original Information Bulletin was prepared around an April 10–11 competition and described April weather in Sharm El-Sheikh as warm and sunny.

The championship will instead take place at the end of October. This places it immediately before the 2026 CMAS World Championship Finswimming Open Water, which is also scheduled in Sharm El-Sheikh beginning October 30. The two events will therefore create an unusually concentrated period of international finswimming activity in the Egyptian resort.

For university athletes, the October date also means that the championship becomes part of the autumn international racing calendar rather than the spring university-sport season. The postponement therefore does more than simply move the competition on the calendar: it changes the preparation cycle and its relationship with other major CMAS events.

A showcase for university finswimming

The FISU World University Championship is important not only because of the medals at stake, but because it provides a dedicated international platform for athletes combining university studies with high-level competitive sport.

The history of the event shows that participation has already grown substantially—from 90 athletes in 2022 to 111 in 2024.

The 2026 edition now has the opportunity to build on that momentum in one of the world’s most recognisable aquatic destinations.

After months of uncertainty surrounding the original April date, the destination and dates are finally clear: Sharm El-Sheikh, October 26–30, 2026, with competition on October 28–29.

For finswimming’s university athletes, the Red Sea will provide the backdrop for the next chapter in the sport’s FISU history.

Official CMAS event page
Official FISU Championship website

2026 FISU World University Championship FSW_Information Bulletin

2026 FISU Technical Handbook Finswimming