2025 Asian Aquatics C'ships: The continental competition returns after 9 years – Preview
Top athletes from the Asian continent will flock down to the newly created facility by Myrtha Pools, aiming for glory.
The new swimming pools at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex highlights India's ambitions of hosting the 2030 Commonwealth and the 2036 Olympic Games. (Photo credit: Myrtha Pools)
The Asian Aquatics Championships is all set to return after a nine-year hiatus, with the 11th edition of the continental competition slated to be held in Ahmedabad, starting on Sunday.
A total of four disciplines – swimming, water polo, diving, and artistic swimming – will be on display at the newly inaugurated Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.
Top athletes from the Asian continent will flock down to the newly created facility by Myrtha Pools, aiming for glory. With the 2026 Asian Games set to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, the 2025 Asian Aquatics Championships will provide a preface to what to expect in Japan next year.
China, which has emerged as a potent force in aquatics in the recent past, will be the strongest medal contender across all medal events in Ahmedabad.
Having topped the medal charts with 15 gold at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, China will be expected to assert their dominance over its continental counterparts over the next fortnight. The 200m breaststroke world record holder Qin Haiyang will also be in contention.
The biggest threat to Chinese domination in the 2025 Asian Aquatics Championships will be Japan. They finished 12th at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships with eight medals, including a gold in women’s open water swimming, which won’t be a part of the upcoming continental competition.
There will also be a strong presence from countries like Kazakhstan, Singapore, and Hong Kong – all of whom have made big strides in aquatics in recent years.
For hosts India, the onus will be on the likes of double Olympians Srihari Natraj, Sajan Prakash and the 15-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu.
Top swimmers from the country, like Benedicton Rohit, Kushagra Rawat, Bhavya Sachdeva, among others, will look to improve the “Best Indian Times” in the competition.
The competition in Ahmedabad will mark India’s first time hosting the Asian Aquatics Championships. For many young swimmers, divers, and the nation’s water polo teams, it will serve as an opportunity to test themselves against some world-class athletes.
India have returned empty-handed from the previous two editions of the Asian Aquatics Championships. In fact, the country’s last medals in the competition came way back in 2009 when the likes of Virdhawal Khade, Sandeep Sejwal, Rehan Poncha, and Aaron D’Souza combined to win seven medals.
A home championship at the newly built facility by Myrtha Pools provides India with a perfect opportunity to end that medal drought. How many medals can they snap up?
SCHEDULE
Swimming: 28 September to 1st Oct
Diving: 28 September to 1st October
Artistic Swimming: 4th October to 7th October
Water Polo: 4th October to 11th October
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