Representatives from China (city to be confirmed), Budapest in Hungary, Tokyo in Japan and Gwangju in South Korea, visited FINA in Lausanne yesterday to hear details of bid procedures should they wish to enter the race to host the 2019 or 2021 World Championships.

The visitors were taken on a tour of all aspects of a bid process that would lead to staging a five-sports event that carries a budget stretching to many tens of millions of dollars. The issues included budget, economic impact and legacy, venues, accommodation and transportation plan, TV (Host Broadcaster) and media operations, marketing and promotion, social and cultural programmes.

Dentsu, FINA’s marketing agent, "presented the sponsoring opportunities related with the championships and the working procedure between FINA and the Organising Committee in order to achieve the best possible outcome:, says FINA.

Executive Director Cornel Marculescu, who chaired the meeting, said: “A successful bid will be the one that better symbolises the FINA winning strategy of organising its World Championships in a prestigious location, with superb facilities and capable of generating a true social event. That is why we call our FINA World Championships ‘Aquatic Festivals’. Together with the sportive part of it, we want to create an unforgettable experience for the entire city hosting the competition. The joint organisation of the FINA World Masters Championships will add value to this impact and legacy."