FINA has approved the dates of the 2014 World Aquatics Convention (November 29th – December 1st) and the ensuing World Short Course Championships (December 3-7) in Doha, Qatar.
Qatar, which was selected in April of 2012 after Italy backed out, will take place at the Aspire Academy for Sporting Excellence. The massive Aspire complex has a total of 12 pools, making it one of the largest aquatics systems in the world. The largest piece is the 10-year old Hamad Aquatic Center, which seats 3,000 spectators in its standard configuration.
The pool was originally constructed to host the 2006 Asian Games, and houses a 50-meter competition pool, an Olympic-standard diving pool, a separate warm-up pool, a dry-pool, and a dryland training gymnasium.
This schedule will be two weeks earlier than the last two incarnations in Dubai and Istanbul, though with this December time frame, FINA continues to take advantage of the more moderate winter climates in the Middle East. In Doha, highs average in the upper 70’s for early December. This new date could theoretically become problematic for the American team. The last few years, these Short Course Championships have been heavy on NCAA athletes for the United States, but this earlier time frame could create more of a conflict with academic schedules.
Remember that beginning in 2014, these Short Course World Championships have been declared a “bona fied” competition by the NCAA, meaning that no longer will swimmers have to choose between a winter taper for NCAA cuts and Short Course Worlds. NCAA qualification times can be earned at the World Championships.
