Gwangju Awarded 2019 World Swimming Championships Despite Controversy

Gwangju in South Korea have been announced as the host of the World Swimming Championships in 2019 while Budapest, Hungary will host the 2021 edition.

“The World Championship in 2019 will be in Gwangju and 2021 will be in Budapest,” governing body FINA said on their Twitter feed ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2013 event in Barcelona later on Friday.

Despite FINA’s announcement the events of the day have overshadowed this as reports circulated that the mayor of Gwangju faces criminal charges after he allegedly forged signatures of key officials in a document presented as part of the city’s bid.

Kang Un-tae has been accused of forging the signatures of former prime minister Kim Hwang-sik and former culture minister Choe Kwang-sik in a document that guaranteed public aid for the championships, a government official said.

FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione expressed his satisfaction and confidence on the level of these candidates: “Those were top-level presentations, led by two personalities from Korea and Hungary. The FINA World Championships in 2019 and 2021 will be two significant milestones in the FINA history, and we are sure that in both cases the venues, the competition and the enthusiasm of the people in Gwangju and Budapest will greatly enhance our Aquatic Festival.”

Budapest and Gwangju faced stiff competition from Baku and Abu Dhabi but prevailed in the end.

Kazan, Russia will host the 2015 edition, followed by Guadalajara, Mexico in 2017.

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