Three Forms of Art to Enjoy at FINA
Written by Cho Namhee
The first half of the upcoming 18th FINA World Championships is comprised of three aquatic disciplines or sports: diving, artistic swimming, and water polo. The three sports exhibit countless features to mesmerize the spectators at the competition venues as well as the TV viewers as if they were in the middle of an art exhibition.
Diving: July 12–20.
Diving, a sport that was once primarily practiced by gymnasts who started performing acrobatic movements as they headed into the water, marks the beginning of the World Championships. The competition involves single dives and synchronized dives in pairs from 1- and 3-meter springboards, and from a 10-meter platform at the Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center. Try to count whether the divers have executed their proposed number of moves and spins within a blink of an eye.
Artistic Swimming: July 12–20.
Also known as “water ballet” and “synchronized swimming,” artistic swimming is a combination of acrobatics and music to be performed in and out of the water of a 20×30-meter pool at Yeomju Gymnasium. Various dances, or rather choreographic movements, are demonstrated as solo, duet, mixed duet, and teams in two different categories: technical routines and free routines. With more than 100 figures from the international figure categories to select from, the artistic swimmers are sure to create some of the most beautiful scenes of the Championships.
Water Polo: July 14–27.
The first starting whistle of the sole tournament of the Championships will be blown on the morning of July 14 at Nambu University Football Field. After the water polo draw for the Gwangju Championships, which was conducted recently on April 7 in Zagreb, Croatia, 16 nations each for men’s and women’s water polo were selected. Water polo is recognized as one of the toughest sports to play, and the spectators will be able to eye-witness its ruggedness. However, at the same time, each of the tournament games will exhibit the beauty of the human body and the fortitude the event requires.
Diving, artistic swimming, and water polo – mark these three FINA sports on your July calendar. You will not want to miss them. They are sure to be a splash!
The Author
Cho Namhee, an over-zealous sports fan, is a free spirit who calls Gwangju home. He studies communications at Chonnam National University and works for the 18th FINA World Championships, Gwangju 2019.