European Aquatics has signed a ‘framework agreement’ to relocate the organization’s headquarters to Belgrade, Serbia, a crucial next step in the organization’s plan to relocate from its current home in Nyon, Switzerland.
They are the latest international swimming governing body to depart from the comfortable confines of neutral Switzerland, the historic home of global sport, for tax breaks and financial incentives, plus lower costs generally, abroad. World Aquatics is in the process of moving its headquarters to Budapest.
European Aquatics moved into its current headquarters in 2015; previously, the organization was based in Luxembourg (2010-2015) and Rome.
The European Aquatics Congress agreed in October 2025 to pursue a move to Belgrade.
The Serbian capital has a population of around 1.2 million. While several national organizations are based there, European Aquatics is the biggest multi-national sporting organization to move there.
Serbia has increasingly become a center of aquatics in Europe. It hosted the 2024 European Aquatics Championships and European Aquatics Masters Championships, the 2023 European Junior Swimming Championships, and is the scheduled host for the 2026 European Men’s Water Polo Championship.
The Sports and Recreational Center Milan Gale Muskatirovic includes an indoor 50 meter pool with 2,000 seats opened in 1968, plus an outdoor 50-meter pool with a capacity for 2,500 spectators plus room to expand to 6,000 that opened in 1961. The facility was the host of the first FINA World Aquatics Championships in 1973.
Inflows and Outflows
Not every sport is seeing an exodus from Switzerland. In fact, many are moving to Switzerland, where they will enjoy proximity to their peers, plus the relatively clear and flexible legal and political situation.
Among the organizations that have recently moved there include the International Chess Federation, International Weightlifting Federation, the International Skating Union, and the International Federation of American Football ahead of its Olympic debut in 2028.
At least it’s not Hungary.
The most interesting part of this article for me was learning that there is an International Federation of American Football.
Very astute to do it now. Most of the world doesn’t even know there is a backyard version of American football, let alone one that can be so easily adapted to any number of players and any size and type of field.
It’s going to have to be incredibly inept television coverage and some type of unforeseeable injury or scandal for flag football not to explode in popularity in 2028, especially among women.