More than 100 Brits heading to Doha for World Masters Championships

More than 100 British athletes are set to compete at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Doha from Friday 23 February – Sunday 3 March 2024.

After the World Aquatics Championships came to a close last weekend, masters athletes will now take centre stage for 10 days of action at the Aspire Dome, Hamad Aquatic Centre and the Old Doha Port.

Approximately 10,000 competitors from more than 100 different countries are expected to participate with Great Britain represented in artistic swimming, diving, open water and swimming events in Qatar.

The diving and open water competitions kick off the competition on Friday before the artistic swimming and swimming events get underway on Sunday 25 and Monday 26 February respectively.

World Aquatics have released a full schedule for the Championships which you can find on the event website and you can view the full entry list for the Championships here.

‘A wonderful experience’

The British contingent will be hopeful of adding to their near 100 medal tally from the Championships in Japan last summer.

One of those that competed in Kyushu, Japan was Swim England’s executive operations manager Hannah Foster in what was her first Masters World Championships.

Reflecting on her experiences in Japan, Hannah expressed that the event gave her experiences that would last a lifetime and would encourage others to get involved in future competitions.

She said: “I hadn’t swam at Masters Europeans, or even Masters Nationals – but instead jumped straight in to the Masters World Championships and I would 100% do it again!

“Everyone I met from across the world were so lovely and supportive. It is clear that the Masters community compete for their passion and the love of the sport.

“I hadn’t experienced things such as the call out rooms, an athlete lounge, the vitamins and supplements available which initially made me very nervous. Nevertheless, I swam and finished all my races on a world class stage, and that was a huge achievement for me!

“Until a few years ago, I had about 12 years out of the water. I truly believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to. I would really urge anyone to give it a go if you can! This experience has well and truly provided me with life long memories and a good story to tell to future generations.

“The culture and the people of Japan were honestly wonderful! I had the opportunity to travel during and after the competition, visiting Hiroshima, Rabbit Island, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Mount Fuji and all across Tokyo before heading home.

“I am so grateful I had the chance to visit such an amazing place on my bucket list all because of my love for swimming!”