For the last four years the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series has been a mainstay on the Australian event calendar and has grown to become one sport’s biggest attractions.
Today it was announced that the title sponsor, BHP Billiton, has decided to discontinue its sponsorship of the event. It is being reported by The Western Australian that a spokeswoman for the mining company stated that after reviewing their social investment opportunities in Western Australia they have decided to no longer sponsor the event.
Up until this point the event, which is held in Perth, has been managed by Swimming Australia and sponsored by Tourism WA (Western Australia) and BHP Billiton. The event also has smaller sponsors that include companies such as Speedo, Nova 937 and The Western Australian newspaper.
The event has grown by leaps and bounds over the last three years. In 2013 the Australians hosted teams from China and South Africa. In 2014 it also included teams from Japan and Brazil and in 2015 the Australians went head to head with teams from Japan, China and the United States.
The Aquatic Super Series includes swimming, water polo and an open water race in Swan River.
This event is not only an important part of the competitive calendar for the country’s elite athletes, but it has been developed into a significant part of Western Australia’s grassroots develop program. Serveral swim and waterpolo camps were held in conjunction with the event where youngsters had the chance to be coached and interact with some of the country’s top athletes.
The event will still run this year, but on a much smaller scale. As of now Swimming Australia does not have the details of who the participating nations will be.
