The European Swimming League Bureau met on October 13th in Amsterdam, where they agreed on the frequency, locations and dates of the 2019 Open Water World Cup.
The LEN decided that starting in March there will be an event at least once a month, other than July when the World Championships are, for a total of six stages running until the end of August. The first four stops don’t have specific dates nailed down just yet (just the month), but the final two stops will take place on August 18th and August 31st in Ohrid and Copenhagen.
The schedule as of now is as follows:
- March – Eilat, Israel
- April – Madeira, Portugal
- May – Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
- June – Barcelona, Spain
- August 18 – Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia
- August 31 – Copenhagen, Denmark
The circuit returns to Eilat, Barcelona and Copenhagen after visiting those cities in 2018, while it will also return to France but shifts from Gravelines to Brive-la-Gaillarde. Last year the other two stops were Navia, Spain, and Bled, Slovenia, and will now move to Madeira (Portugal) and Ohrid (Macedonia).
During the meeting the LEN also awarded the 2022 European Water Polo Championships via unanimous decision to the city of Split, Croatia. The event was last held in Croatia in 2010, where the nation’s capital Zagreb played host to a successful tournament.