The 2010 FINA/Arena World Cup is about to get underway, the first in the series to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 10-12, at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre. So far, 194 swimmers from 13 countries are set to compete, including Olympic sprint free champion and local hero Cesar Cielo.
A total of US$360,000 will be distributed to the winners of the seven-meets Cup, while an additional maximum of US$50,000 is reserved for world record-breakers, the numbers of those expected to be somewhat thinner on the ground this year upon the passing of shiny suits that controbuted to some 250 world marks being set in 23 months until the ban on non-textile apparel on January 1 this year. The overall men's and women's winners receive US$100,000, second and third receive US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively. 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, FINA confirmed today.
The 2010 meet schedule:
- Rio de Janeiro (BRA) September 10-12
- Beijing (CHN) October 12-13
- Singapore (SIN) October 16-17
- Tokyo (JPN) October 20-21
- Berlin (GER) October 30-31
- Moscow (RUS) November 2-3
- Stockholm (SWE) November 6-7
