News

People of all ages in Wales are being encouraged to learn key safety tips to help young people stay safe around the sea, rivers and other open water. The call from Water Safety Wales comes as statistics showed a rise in accidental drowning deaths involving people aged under 20 for a second year running. Water […]

Cardiff Council, alongside Swim Wales and partners, has revealed plans to address the low number of children taking part in school swimming lessons. Delivered by the Council’s Cardiff Commitment Curriculum Team, in partnership with Swim Wales, Cardiff Met Sport, GLL, Legacy Leisure, Urdd Gobaith Cymru and Public Health Wales, the project aims to increase the […]

Swim Wales, the National Governing Body for aquatics in Wales, has strengthened its relationship with leading North Wales leisure operator Byw’n Iach, after signing a new partnership agreement. Byw’n Iach operate 11 leisure and sport venues on behalf of Gwynedd Council with the mission of offering sustainable leisure and fitness activities of the highest quality […]

Welsh para-swimmer Rhys Darbey has been selected to represent Great Britain at this summer’s Paralympic Games. The Nofio Clwyd athlete will make his Paralympics debut in Paris when the Games get underway in 100 days. Darbey, who only received his S14 classification in 2022, earned a silver medal at his maiden World Para-Swimming World Championships […]

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, Swim Wales President Keri Hutchinson has penned her latest blog on relationship between aquatic activity and mental health. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week 2024.The theme for this year, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. The aim of this awareness […]

Welsh pair part of Great Britain squad crowned World top team again at the World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships 2024. Williams wins World medley relay bronze. Great Britain retained their top team title at the 11th World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships held in Antalya, Turkiye 19-26 March 2024 Down Syndrome Swimming Great Britain took a […]

Five Welsh swimmers have been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Medi Harris, Matthew Richards, Daniel Jervis and Kieran Bird will fly the flag for Wales as part of Team GB during the Olympic pool programme, while Hector Pardoe – who earned a bronze medal at February’s […]

Matthew Richards completed a hat-trick of Paris Olympic nomination times as he won the battle of the titans in the Men’s 200m Freestyle. The 21-year-old faced off against GB teammates and sprint royalty with Olympic champion Tom Dean, Tokyo silver medallist Duncan Scott and gold medal winning relay teammate James Guy in a domestic final […]

Matthew Richards stormed to a second Olympic nomination time and lowered his Welsh 50m Freestyle record on day five of the Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. The Tokyo relay gold medallist had already sealed his place in Paris with victory in the 100m Free, but now has the opportunity to clinch a sprint triple with […]

Rhys Darbey put himself firmly in the frame for this summer’s Paralympics after producing a stunning swim to smash the 200m IM Para nomination time. The 16-year-old, who won silver on his World Championships debut in Manchester last year, was inches away from a gold medal that would have guaranteed his spot in Paris as […]

Daniel Jervis and Matthew Richards booked their places at the Paris Olympic Games on an electric day of swimming at the Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. The distance star and the sprint king top-and-tailed a successful night for Welsh athletes at the London Aquatics Centre. The evening began with the 1500m Freestyle Fastest Heat, in […]

Welsh swimmers produced a second day of positive performances at the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. After Keiran Bird secure the 400m Freestyle British title and Medi Harris earned a spot on the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay team for Paris on day one at the London Aquatics Centre, Welsh swimmers and para-swimmers were back in […]

Welsh athletes will aim to book their place in Paris at the 2024 British Swimming Championships and Olympic & Paralympic trials this week. The iconic London Aquatics Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will play host to the first combined Championships from 2nd-7th April 2024. The new-look British Championships will see Olympic and Paralympic swimming […]

The Swim Wales National Championships returns to Swansea for the 2024 edition this weekend (Friday22nd March – Monday 25th). An incredibly exciting year for Welsh aquatics is well underway. With the 2024 Olympics & Paralympics in Paris on the horizon and the first combined British Championships & Olympic & Paralympic trials two weeks away, our […]

Swim Wales publish the National Squad Selection Procedures for the 2024/25 season The Swim Wales National Squad Programme aims to provide a progressive and inclusive National Squad pathway in line with the Swim Wales Performance Mission – ‘To support the holistic development of swimmers and para-swimmers to achieve their full potential, aspiring to achieve podium […]

Swim Wales can confirm some key updates to our Competition Calendar for 2024. These changes have been made by the Swim Wales team following feedback from our aquatics community to improve our competitive pathway. The National Development Meet (Long Course) will now take place on Sunday 14th July and the Swim Wales Summer Meet will be closed to Welsh swimmers […]

Aidan Heslop became the first Welsh world champion to be crowned in Doha after executing the hardest dive in the world from the 27m platform. Heslop, who has represented Wales at the last two Commonwealth Games, sat third heading into Thursday’s fourth and final round, 21 points behind France’s Gary Hunt in first. But the […]

Three Welsh swimmers achieved medal success, including gold, as part of the Great Britain team at the first IISA European Championships in Oradea, Romania. They were up against more than 300 of Europe’s most experienced ice swimmers competing in 4 degrees Celsius water in an outdoor 50m pool. Swimmers competed in distances from 50m to […]

Wales National Pool Swansea, the home of the Swim Wales High Performance Centre, has been awarded Swim Wales Learn to Swim Accreditation as they aim to inspire the next generation. As a Swim Wales Accredited Provider, Wales National Pool Swansea’s Learn to Swim programme has been recognised for providing excellence in their delivery, governance and […]

Hector Pardoe’s Olympic debut was brutally cut short by an eye injury, but now he has his sights set on redemption after clinching a dramatic World Championships bronze. The Welsh marathon swimmer charged to Britain’s first 10km marathon swimming World Championship medal for more than a decade on Sunday in Doha. Pardoe’s sensational finish in […]

A quartet of Welsh athletes are primed and ready for the World Aquatics Championships 2024 in Doha. The multi-sport event runs from 2nd – 18th February, and with Paris 2024 now less than six months away, the Doha World Championships provides a crucial opportunity for many looking to secure Olympic quota spots or build towards […]

Swim Wales and British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru have joined forces to encourage people of all ages to take part in the Swim 60 Challenge this February for Heart Month.   The Swim 60 Challenge could be 60 minutes, 60 lengths or 60 miles – participants choose the time and distance according to personal fitness levels, […]

Diolch yn fawr iawn to everyone who contributed to the Swim Wales Annual Awards 2024. Congratulations to all of our finalists and award winners, your efforts in 2023 have made a huge impact on Welsh Aquatics, and we were delighted to be able to celebrate with you at the Village Hotel, Cardiff.  Thank you to […]

LEGENDS OF WELSH SPORT: BOB MORGAN Wednesday, 10 January BBC One Wales, 10.40pm A brand-new series of Legends of Welsh Sport looks back on some of the greatest and most inspiring sportsmen and women Wales has produced. This episode looks at the highs and lows of Wales’ most successful diver, Bob Morgan, including an incident […]