Governing body FINA changes century-old name to 'World Aquatics'
The FINA logo is seen in the background as Katie Ledecky of the United States celebrates during Leg 3 of the 2022 FINA Swimming World Cup in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Nov 5, 2022. (File photo: AFP/Getty Images North America/Maddie Meyer)
MELBOURNE: International swimming federation FINA voted on Monday (Dec 12) to rebrand itself "World Aquatics" at its extraordinary general congress in Melbourne.
Federation International de Natacion - French for International Federation of Swimming - was the governing body's official name dating back to 1908.
FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said that the move would see all aquatics athletes united for the first time "under one brand".
"We need a name that reflects the whole FINA family, a name that can be used with pride by our artistic swimmers, divers, high divers, open water swimmers and our water polo athletes," he said.
FINA delegates also voted to adopt a new constitution, which includes the creation of an independent Aquatics Integrity Unit to come into operation from Jan 1, 2023, among other reforms.
Membership of the federation's executive bureau will now be subject to an age cap of 75, about seven years after former president Julio Maglione scrapped previous limits, allowing him to run for a third term in 2017.
Presidential term limits will also now match the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Charter, which has a term of eight years, renewable once for four years.
