Open‑water gets more inclusive
European Aquatics announced the 2026 Masters Championships will integrate Para Swimming and Para Open Water events — a formal push toward inclusion in major aquatic meets. USA Swimming also launched an “Open Water 101” series to help competitors get into open‑water racing safely (europeanaquatics.org) (swimmersdaily.com).
European Aquatics set a non‑qualifying entry route for Para competitors, requiring only a verifiable entry time from an official competition dated between 15 July 2024 and 15 July 2026 and a final registration deadline of 15 July 2026. (europeanaquatics.org)) Para events at the Masters will include Para Water Polo and Para Artistic Swimming alongside pool and open‑water Para swimming, and results for Para classes S1–S14 will be ranked using the World Para Swimming Points System. (europeanaquatics.org)) Athletes in classes S1–S14 must hold a recognised World Para Swimming sport class, while entries for additional classes such as S15, S16 and S21 will require detailed medical documentation and final validation by the event classification panel. (europeanaquatics.org)) The 2026 Masters will adopt a cross‑border hosting model between Slovakia and Austria, and European Aquatics has also launched a three‑stage Masters Open Water Swimming Tour whose final leg will feed into the Championships calendar. (europeanaquatics.org)) USA Swimming published an “Open Water 101” video on its channel featuring Ivan Puskovitch, Claire Weinstein, Brinkleigh Hansen and Mariah Denigan as part of lead‑in programming for the national meet. (youtube.com)) The Open Water National & Junior National Championships take place at Nathan Benderson Park from April 1–4, 2026 and will be shown on the USA Swimming Network alongside the Open Water 101 material. (nathanbendersonpark.org))
