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Abu Dhabi : Aspiring young swimmers were in for a treat on Friday as Germany’s Olympic Champion Florian Wellbrock jumped in to join the fun in a unique training clinic inside Etihad Arena, as the FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 continue in Abu Dhabi.
Wellbrock is only the second athlete in history to medal in both swimming and marathon swimming events at the Olympic Games. The German, who comes off his storming event win in the open water 10km event on Thursday and is preparing for his pool competitions over the weekend, met with young athletes from the Soul Sport local swimming club to take part in training sessions to develop their skills in the purpose-built warm up pool inside the iconic Etihad Arena.
Following the session, Florian said, “This is where everything started so this is going to be the future and it’s important to show them how we do it. The kids here today are as young as 6 - I started my swimming journey around the same time and some have asked me about being an Olympic champion, so it’s a crazy feeling.”
“It has been a great experience so far here in Abu Dhabi and I like the challenge of competing in open water and the short course event. The race in Tokyo when I won was an amazing feeling and the one in Abu Dhabi was similar but not so easy. I had an amazing last lap yesterday and that was the key to winning the race.”
At the end of the session, the young swimmers were able to try one of the most difficult movements in the pool – the tumble flip – with Florian watching on for support. Jadon, 9, said “It was really great. I never did a turning move before, so it was a good feeling to have done one especially with an Olympic champion Florian Wellbrock being there.”
The exciting swimming clinic was held in partnership with National Health Insurance Company - Daman and the UAE Swimming Federation. In the lead up to the championships, numerous workshops were held across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, free for the whole community to join, which in total saw over 4,000 people take part.
#Tickets for the FINA World Swimming Championships are still available across several categories including individual race heats (starting from AED 10), individual race finals (starting from AED 25) and exclusive packages for all races (starting from AED 150). Family packages are also available for two adults and two children under the age of sixteen, and start from AED 50, for individual races and AED 500 for all races.
For more information, please visit: http://fina-abudhabi2021.com/
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Alexandria May Hall, PR Account Director, Seven Media
Email: alexhall@sevenmedia.ae
About Abu Dhabi Sports Council
Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) was established in 2006 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
ADSC is aligned to the emirate’s leadership vision to develop sport and youth activities. The Council promotes an effective, emirate-wide sports calendar that stimulates the desire to participate in quality sports among all Abu Dhabi residents and helps the talented and motivated reach their sporting potential.
The sports council supports the organisation and hosting of many international sporting events in Abu Dhabi.
These include the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, UAE Tour, WTA Abu Dhabi International Women's Tennis Championship, World Triathlon Championship, Leaders Sports Business Summit, Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and IJF Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam.
Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, Spartan World Championship, World Swimming Championships, Mubadala World Tennis Championships, and many other international events cement the reputation and position of Abu Dhabi as a global destination for sport
ADSC believes that global and community sporting events provide many positive opportunities, most notably the encouragement of all segments and groups of society to practice sports activities
Make the practice of sport a daily lifestyle, representing its positive impact on public health.
ADSC firmly believe that sporting events deliver a host of benefits for the emirate and its residents.
These include improved health and wellness, the building of community spirit, the discovering of local talent and enhancing the reputation of the emirate as a world-class sporting destination.
ABOUT FINA
The Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), founded in 1908, is the governing body for aquatics worldwide. FINA's five disciplines - Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Diving, Water Polo and Artistic Swimming - are all included in the Olympic programme. High Diving made its first appearance in FINA events at the 2013 FINA World Championships. FINA counts 209 affiliated National Federations across five continents and its headquarters are based in Lausanne (SUI).
FINA has partnered with world-wide brands over the years which strengthen the value around the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m). A magnificent event distributed to over 200 territories globally, welcoming the participation of approximately 950 athletes from over 175 countries, competing in 46 events over a 6-day format. This world-class competition is complemented by the FINA World Aquatics Convention which brings together the aquatic’s community in a unique B2B experience.
FOLLOW THE EVENT
Website: http://fina-abudhabi2021.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FINA21AbuDhabi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FINA21AbuDhabi/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/FINA21AbuDhabi/
© Press Release 2021
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