World Aquatics has officially opened the World Aquatics Centre of Excellence in Bahrain, a major step in the organisation’s global development strategy and an important marker of its growing presence in the Middle East. Located on the University of Technology Bahrain campus, the new centre integrates elite training with higher education, giving athletes the chance to combine academic studies with professional coaching and performance support.
The complex includes an Olympic standard 50 metre pool, an Olympic diving pool, athlete accommodation and modern educational facilities embedded within the university. The opening coincided with the 3rd Asian Youth Games and was held in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, together with senior representatives from World Aquatics, the Bahrain Olympic Committee, GFH Financial Group, Al Namal Group, Infracorp and the University of Technology Bahrain.
The Bahrain centre joins a growing network of World Aquatics training centres in Australia, Canada, France, Hungary, Thailand and the United States. Five international athletes are already living and training in Manama under the guidance of World Aquatics coaches while pursuing degrees at the university. By the first quarter of 2026, the programme is expected to welcome more than fifty scholarship athletes from around the world.
Guests at the opening experienced an immersive 85 metre by 10 metre projection that imagined the centre’s future role, paired with a live performance that used rippling fabrics across the pool to evoke water in motion and to symbolise progress, potential and unity through sport.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam described the new hub as a beacon for aspiring athletes worldwide, saying that through partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the organisation is building not only a training base but a community that unites sport, education and innovation. Hisham Alrayes, Group CEO of GFH Financial Group and Chairman of the University of Technology Bahrain, said the project reflects Bahrain’s strategic ambition to develop as a global destination for education, innovation and sporting excellence. Faris Mustafa Al Kooheiji, Secretary General of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, underlined the Kingdom’s commitment to youth, development and international cooperation. Majed Alkhan, CEO of the University of Technology Bahrain, emphasised the importance of enabling athletes to excel both in the pool and in the classroom. Representing the athletes, Omar Abbas called the centre a symbol of opportunity and inspiration for those who will call it home.
The opening follows a series of milestones in the partnership between World Aquatics and Bahrain, beginning with the January 2023 announcement of the centre and a regional office, the January 2024 groundbreaking at the university and Bahrain’s first World Aquatics event, the High Diving World Cup, in September 2024. With the doors now open on 30 October 2025, the World Aquatics Centre of Excellence in Bahrain is set to become a hub for elite training, sports science research and athlete education, consolidating the mission to ensure that athletes everywhere have the tools to reach their highest potential.
