World Aquatics announces training centre partnership with Thailand's Thanyapura Sport and Health Resort

With the aim of preparing international swimmers from the World Aquatics Scholarship Program for major global competitions, World Aquatics has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thailand Aquatics, the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Thanyapura Sport and Health Resort on the island of Phuket.

The MoU aims to not only strengthen the World Aquatics Training Centre partnership on the Thai island of Phuket, but also amplifies the global impact of our collective efforts. This partnership ensures that athletes can continue to realise their full potential, significantly impacting aquatics not just in Thailand, but also on a global scale.

Since 2018, the Thanyapura Training Centre has been a vital training centre at the hub of the World Aquatics development efforts. The training centre currently oversees the training and preparation of 31 World Aquatics scholarship athletes. This group includes Enkhkhuslen Batbayar, a multiple Mongolian national record holder who made the semifinals in the 100m and 200m freestyle events at the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu, China.

The training centre is also the preparation grounds for Ronan Wantenaar of Namibia. The African Games 100m breaststroke champion nearly broke through on the international stage, just missing the semifinals in the 50m breaststroke at the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 by 5/100ths of a second this past February.

Thanyapura’s swimming facilities include a 50m Olympic competition pool, a 25m training and teaching pool, Omega start blocks, a state-of-the-art electronic timing system and scoreboard, an underwater video analysis window, ozone filtration and sports science services.

Athletes selected for the World Aquatics Scholarship program benefit from a one-year term where they can live and train a World Aquatics Training Centre in an environment that helps up-and-coming aquatics athletes reach their full potential through optimal preparation for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics Games, World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) -Budapest 2024 and the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025.

The program targets athletes with solid potential in international competitions but with a lack of sufficient training conditions in their home country by offering financial support and expert technical knowledge to those athletes.

Commenting on the relationship with Thanyapura, World Aquatics President, Husain Al-Musallam stated “our collaboration with Thailand Aquatics, the Sports Authority of Thailand and Thanyapura Phuket has been a significant stepping stone in athletes’ development since we started our work together in 2015.

“We have an exceptional team of coaches, talented and aspiring athletes, and world-class facilities.

“With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the immediate horizon, knowing that we have the partnerships in place to continue our work in Thanyapura together through to Singapore 2025 and all World Aquatics events as well as LA 2028 and beyond is a true and lasting accomplishment.

Marisa Yenbamroong, Executive Director of the Phuket International Sports Club, noted how the Thanyapura Training Centre has helped transform Phuket province into a world-class destination for elite swimmers.

She advised “since we attained the prestigious World Aquatics Training Centre standard nine years ago, Phuket region has established itself as a sanctuary for athletes. World champions, Olympic champions and world record holders from multiple continents have come here for training camps in preparation for global championships, like the recent Doha 2024 Worlds and the upcoming Paris 2024 Games.”

Images: Athletes at Thanyapura’s World Aquatics Training Centre (top, credit: World Aquatics) and Thanyapura Training Centre athlete Enkhkhuslen Batbayar of Mongolia competes at the World Aquatics Championships - Fukuoka 2023 (below, credit: Hiroyuki Nakamura/World Aquatics).