by Christina Marmet
Over 100 participants, representing 30 National Federations, as well as attendees from outside of Europe, took part in the 2023 European Aquatics Artistic Swimming Clinic held from 13-15 October at the Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Türkiye.
Andida Bouma, European Aquatics Treasurer and an active member of the Technical Artistic Swimming Committee (TASC) since 2008, was particularly thrilled about the high attendance numbers and the opportunity to bring everyone together in one place.
“With over 100 participants, we were delighted to see so many people from all over the continent and to welcome attendees from outside of Europe too,” she said. “National Federations in attendance ranged from the best in the world to those just starting their artistic swimming journey, and the clinic provided the best opportunity to network.”
The artistic swimming community was particularly eager to meet after this inaugural competition season under the sport’s new regulations and scoring system. This annual Clinic offered the opportunity to exchange feedback, participate in broader conversations, and learn more about various areas of improvement.
The Clinic included highly interactive sessions, such as discussions on the future of the sport, the Olympic landscape and its impact on artistic swimming, how the rules have changed the sport, acrobatics training and biomechanics, how to judge acrobatics and the new artistic impression categories and understanding Base Marks and the changes to Coach Cards better.
“It’s important to have the artistic swimming community together to be able to share ideas, discuss the changes, and reach consensus on the direction of European Artistic Swimming,” said Ulla Lucenius, TASC Chairwoman. “With the biggest transformation in the sport happening, we are fortunate to have some of the best experts in artistic swimming based in Europe, allowing our coaches, judges, and other members of the community to learn and change together.”
Finally, the Clinic also opened conversations on the growth of the sport in Europe and how to close the gap between leading nations and those in the developmental phase. Excitingly, a representative from Ireland attended this Clinic with hopes of jump-starting artistic swimming in the country.
The Gloria Sports Complex is the largest sports facility in Türkiye, offering ideal training and professional hospitality facilities for more than 50 sports. The Clinic attendees were thrilled about the location, stating it created the best environment for learning.
