China, Australia, the United States, and Japan have a great once-every-four-years battle at the Pan Pac Championships, and beginning in January, 2015, the four will show down in a battle that’s all about team.
Swimming Australia announced on Monday those four countries as the participants of the 2015 BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series, where the swim teams will battle for $400,000 in prize money.
USA water polo will also join Australia and China for a share of $84,000 in prize money in a three-team tournament.
USA Swimming previously leaked their participation in this event, which we reported here, and this will be the first time the Americans will take part in three years of this event in Perth.
According to Swimming Australia CEO, the participation of USA Swimming and Water Polo demonstrates the growth of the made-for-spectators event.
“Team USA is an incredible addition to year three of the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series. It demonstrates the great appeal of this event to the best swimming nations and provides further expansion of the meet which will ensure that this event will become entrenched in the international swimming calendar,” said Anderson.
Swimming Australia High Performance Director Michael Scott echoed those sentiments:
“The addition of the USA to this meet is a great outcome for the sport of swimming and will no doubt have a positive flow on effect for the growth of the sport in Australia. The BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series will bring high quality international swimming to Australia, giving the swimmers the chance to test themselves without travelling too far and the public a chance to support the team against some of the best swimmers in the world.”
The Australians already have put a strong foot forward, with Emma McKeon, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, and Emily Seebohm all attending the launch and already committed to the Australian Team. McKeon won 5 gold medals at last week’s Australian Short Course National Championships, and with both she and Fraser-Holmes declining spots on the Worlds roster, they should be sharp and ready to battle for big cash in front of a home crowd.
The meet will run from January 30th-31st. It will be held in HBF Stadium in Perth.
Information
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster – http://www.ticketmaster.com.au
For event information visit – http://www.aquaticsuperseries.com.au
French news.
Roxana Maracineanu, former 200 back world champion in 1998, is officially candidate for the position of national technical director, following Lionel Horter’s resignation to train Yannick Agnel.