Dubai has decided not to go ahead with hosting the 15th World Swimming Championships in 2013 after winning the rights to hold the event by governing body FINA last year.
Dr Julio C Maglione, president of FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) said Dubai would still host the short course (25m) World Swimming Championships in December.
But following talks with Mattar Al Tayer, deputy chairman of the Higher Organising Committee and deputy chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, FINA said Dubai would not now go ahead with its plans for the 2013 event.
FINA expressed its appreciation for “the tremendous amount of work” completed by the Dubai 2010 organising committee and the progress made in the construction of the Dubai Sports Complex, adding that the 2010 event in the emirate would be “a great success”.
The project for the 2013 championship was also reviewed, FINA said.
“In a mutual agreement, FINA and the Dubai authorities decided that Dubai would not go forward with the organisation of these championships,” FINA added in a statement.
The statement confirmed that Dubai “has opted to concentrate on developing grassroots interest in swimming rather than go forward with another championships for elite athletes in three years”.
Al Tayer added: “Our vision from the start was that hosting the 2010 World Championships would leave a legacy that would benefit residents in Dubai and throughout the UAE. Our goal after the championships is to encourage wider use of our new aquatic complex by the people who live here.
“We believe that, at this stage, it is of paramount importance to further improve the impact of the aquatic disciplines in this Middle East region before staging a FINA World Championships with our five sports.
Maglione said: “The UAE authorities will certainly do their best to accomplish this goal and the first step towards achieving it will be the organisation of a very successful FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in December.”
In July 2009, it was announced that Dubai had won the right to host the 2013 swimming world championships, beating Moscow and Hamburg.
Speaking at the time from Rome, Ahmad Al Falasi, president of the UAE Swimming Association (UAESA) said: “What can I say? I am speechless. I think it will take me one full day of rest to let this feeling sink in. Today’s triumph is the result of more than six years of hard and diligent work.”
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