Sardinia to host fourth Open Water Cup under three-year commitment

The World Para Swimming Open Water Cup will return to Alghero’s Lido San Giovanni on 19 September 2026 for its fourth edition after the three-year hosting agreement being signed securing the competition on the island through 2028. The 2027 and 2028 editions will also take place in September, with exact dates to be announced.

The multi-year contract marks a significant investment in the sport, especially in the Open Water discipline, providing stability for athletes and national teams, and guaranteeing continuity at a venue that has quickly become a favourite.

Since its revival in 2023, the Sardinia Open Water Cup has become a compact, competitive, and at times unpredictable stop on the World Para Swimming calendar. The early editions combined established stars, breakthrough performances and a clear demonstration of why open water belong in the sport’s long-term programme.

The next year’s Cup in Alghero is expected to attract a mixed field: seasoned open water competitors who have already made the transition, Paralympic pool medallists seeking a different challenge or experience, and emerging national-team athletes eager to build race craft in natural conditions. The three-year hosting window should also encourage development programmes in neighbouring regions, bringing more athletes into open water training and competition.

Craig Nicholson, Head of World Para Swimming, said: “Securing a three-year commitment for Sardinia is a major step for Open Water Para Swimming. It gives athletes and federations the certainty they need to plan, and it strengthens our ability to grow participation and performance in the discipline.”

The venue itself – a combination of clear water, sheltered bays and a local organising committee with proven experience – has been widely praised by athletes. Competitors have repeatedly highlighted the clarity of the water, the scenic conditions and the organisation’s ability to manage the safety and fairness of races despite the inherent challenges of an open sea environment.

2023: The return and first champions

The Cup’s inaugural staging in San Teodoro in 2023 reintroduced open water events to the World Para Swimming calendar after more than a decade away. Spain’s Javier Torres emerged as the first-ever champion in the multi-class men’s 1.5km, posting a weighted time that set the tone for a competition shaped by shifting winds and changing sea conditions.

The event brought strong Spanish performances across classes: Jacobo Brun claimed the shorter distance title in the S7-S10 race, while Alejandro Medero took the gold medal in the S11-S14 event.

The youthful Swiss Nora Meister also left Sardinia with her first global gold, a sign of how the Cup could open pathways for rising talent. The 2023 edition underscored the discipline’s comeback and its potential to expand athlete opportunities beyond the pool.

2024: Paralympic momentum and consolidation

The second edition, staged at La Cinta Beach in San Teodoro, arrived on the calendar in the wake of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. That context produced a field rich in recent Paralympic medallists and world-class names.

New Paralympic champions such as Canada’s Nicholas Bennett and Great Britain’s Tully Kearney added Open Water Cup titles to an already impressive season. Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg successfully defended an early claim on the discipline, while the United States showed strength in longer distances.

The 2024 event demonstrated how the Cup could act as both a competitive reward for elite athletes and a developmental arena for competitors transitioning between pool and sea.

2025: Alghero, new faces and growing depth

The 2025 edition moved to Alghero’s Lido San Giovanni and expanded the Cup’s profile. The programme featured a concentrated race day with multiple classes sharing the water in separate distance races, and the meet was live-streamed for the first time – a small but important step for visibility.

Pernilla Lindberg arrived as a clear favourite, aiming for a third consecutive win in her 3 km class. Venezuela’s Ivanosky Jose Marichal came as defending champion in the men’s 1.5km, while the line-up also included a new wave of pool champions testing open water for the first time: Italy’s Alberto Amodeo, Xenia Francesca Palazzo and Federico Bicelli used the Cup as a competitive, hands-on experience in a different environment from the pool.

The 2025 staging highlighted how open water racing demands different skills --navigation, tactics, adaptation to currents – and how pool stars can both adapt and learn from the sea.

Entries, technical information and broadcast details will be published on the World Para Swimming’s channels as they become available.