MILDURA will host the 2025 and 2027 Country Long Course Swimming Championships in a “major coup” for the region.
Swimming Victoria announced multi-year deals for the first time with Barwon South West Swimming Association (Geelong) to host the 2026 Country Long Course Championships.
Mildura Mayor Liam Wood said hosting the 2025 and 2027 events was a major coup for the region and for the sport of swimming in the Mildura municipality.
“These prestigious events will attract a whole host of new visitors, who we look forward to welcoming with open arms and showcasing our wonderful city and surrounding towns to,” Cr Wood said.
“They’ll also help further raise the profile of swimming as a sport in our community and all the social and physical wellbeing benefits it provides.”
Mildura Rural City Council has allocated $100,000 from its 2023/24 capital works program for infrastructure upgrades to assist Mildura Swimming Club in purchasing a fully automatic timing system and scoreboard, ahead of the championships.
Swimming Victoria said the 2025 and 2027 Country LC Championships will be held at Mildura Waves, showcasing a partnership between Mildura Rural City Council, Aligned Leisure and Mildura Swimming Club.
Aligned Leisure Mildura manager Caitlin Simmons said the Mildura region had a proud and long-standing history of competitive swimming, making the organisation proud to partner with Mildura Swimming Club and Mildura Council to again bring “an event of this calibre” to Mildura Waves.
“Our sincere thanks goes to Swimming Victoria for recognising the efforts of the many hard-working committee members and volunteers that make up the Mildura Swimming Club and entrusting our community with the great honour of hosting these events for our state,” she said.
“Following the success of the 2022 event, we look forward to bringing to life the 2025 and 2027 events in an even bigger and better way.”
Mildura Swimming Club president Brendan Dean said the championships would allow the club to exhibit “the wonderful region we live in” to the best country swimmers in Victoria.
“We look forward to welcoming the participants, their clubs, coaches, family and friends,” he said.
“Our partnerships with the Mildura Rural City Council and Aligned Leisure will allow us to ensure that these championships have a lasting legacy on swimmers throughout our region.”
The club said profits will be reinvested into the running of the club, facilitating swimmers locally to achieve a higher level of swimming, alongside key items in their strategic plan including employing and upskilling coaches, developing a technical officials program and further improvements to infrastructure.
Swimming Victoria events experience manager Narelle Holding said it was a “thrill” to lock in the hosts for the next three Country LC Championships.
“With such experienced hosts, combined with impressive facilities, strong local partnerships and long term planning goals around infrastructure, I’m sure that these championships will be a wonderful celebration of Victorian country swimming.”
The Victorian Country LC Championships are open to Swimming Victoria registered members of affiliated country clubs.
