FINA Media: Do aquatic sports still have new territories or regions to conquer? Are swimming and the other sports already universal, or are there “weak” parts of the world? How can FINA help the industry to promote universality?

Counsilman Hunsaker: In the United States less than 10% of the population defines themselves as swimming for fitness or competition.  Applying this reality to the world as a whole, there are many places under severed.  The question one asks themselves is why?  Is it a lack of facilities?  Is swimming perceived as a sport available only to those that can afford it?  After the facility is constructed, the cost of swimming is marginal and the benefit of this skill is life-saving.

Dentsu: Whilst all areas of aquatic sport are already globally recognised, a key area we want to develop is Africa which has a relatively low share of the audience - but has huge potential. As a marketing agent, we want to ensure FINA events get an increasing share of global coverage which will translate into a larger audience.By implementing a grassroots athlete development scheme on a mid to long term basis we could ensure growing aquatic sport participation on a global scale.

Great Big Events:Currently the profile of aquatics sports events peak at Olympic Games and World Championships level. For the most part the reach of many other ongoing meets is significantly less. Additionally there are some countries where aquatics sports athletes have a high public profile – such as in Australia– but conversely many where they are lesser known and the aquatics disciplines areseen more as a fringe sport. Changing this balance would inevitably result in much wider coverage and participation in the sportthrough many regions of the world. It is widely acknowledged that some regions have a greater awareness and support for aquatics disciplines, but there remain many untapped markets. There is no doubt contributing factors including access to facilities, infrastructure, coaching and climatic influencesthat weigh heavily on this issue. More broadly, and arguably of greatest influence is cultural and lifestyle factors.


FINA Media: Is the line-up of elite aquatic sports disciplines really up to date?  Is there a need for more easy-to-digest “youth” disciplines for the MTV / X Games generation? How are FINA and its members getting feedback from the market?

Counsilman Hunsaker: Today the definition of the aquatic sport disciplines are swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo.  To breakout out of the “discipline” definition, would we consider surfing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, and kite boarding.  These would not use today’s definition of fields of plays.  Should or could FINA consider such a dramatic departure from the pool?  What new pool based sports can be created?

Dentsu: Youth participation in global aquatics is one of the sports key strengths as well as having a wide ranging age demographic. In our opinion the majority of aquatic sports are already easy to digest and therefore we feel there is no specific need for change in order to encourage youth participation, although it is important to remain open-minded.What is key however is to maintain the development of new inspirational stars which in turn will motivate youngsters to get into aquatic sport to emulate their heroes and heroines.
Great Big Events: There is no doubt that Aquatic Sports draw on a wonderful tradition and heritage and are a key foundation sport of any multisport program. At a school participatory level, swimming often encourages whole school involvement as part of the physical education curriculum. There is cause for argument that this does not translate into greater appeal beyond that forum. Certainly I believe there is merit in exploring specially-created event packages designed to appeal to youth markets. Whether that treatment should be made solely to the current roster of aquatic sports, or through expansion of FINAs portfolio to include other water-based codes – life saving, beach swimming, triathlon, surfing – is still to be determined. The youth segment thrives on fast-paced, edgy, exciting sports action. The approach must endorse supreme athletic performance –and be packaged accordingly for both the in-venue and broadcast audience.

FINA Media:What can be done with swimming / aquatics venues to add fascination for spectators and viewers? What are some of the latest innovations around the global swimming industry?

Counsilman Hunsaker:Aquatic sport has not taken full advantage of technology to allow the spectator into competitive arena.  How can we increase spectator involvement for both the venue and multimedia audiences?  Can the various sports accommodate greater inclusion of technology in the field of play.  More information could make it more interesting(reaction times of block, push off forces, biometric data).  The US Olympic Trails recently dramatically changed the competitive environment of by introducing theatrical elements (lasers, sound, fire, water – like a rock concert).  Is this appropriate in other venues?

Dentsu: One key innovation FINA works with during championships is the use of temporary pools which has opened up massive potential in bringing aquatic sport to multi-purpose venues.FINA always tries to utilise this ability by looking to stage championships in multi-purpose venues. By doing this the feel of an aquatic festival is created, maximising spectator interest and enjoyment. It’s also important to ensure the spectators get as close to the action as possible.

Great Big Events:There is so much that can be done with aquatics sports and venues. Certainly through our long association with FINA, Swimming Australia, USA Swimming and via our many multisport credits including Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games, we have had the opportunity to extend the boundaries of what may have previously been seen as best practice.Certainly we would like to take that further again, and our challenge as Sport Presentation experts is to continually find that balance between exercising our creative license while upholding the integrity of the sport. Irrespective of what re-modelling effort is made, our role is to ensure the athlete experience is paramount. The picture in focus must always be the main event. Peripheral activity is installed as a building block to elevate that competitive piece. With aquatics disciplines there is an opportunity to provide higher-end production values through the use of drop-in pools. This approach allows the set to be built around the field of play, enhancing the colour palette and use of theatrics that might otherwise have diluted impact in a typicalaquatic centre environment. This was well demonstrated at the 2008 Manchester FINA World Short Course Championships. Spectator engagement is critical. To draw on an earlier discussion point, the code’s personalities must be developed further into fully-fledged talent brands so there is a very real connection with the spectator.

FINA Media: Given that so many millions of families around the world are regular swimmers in their local pools, is the audience for elite aquatic sports really measuring up?  Is this natural “fan base” of participants really being exploited? How are FINA and its members and partners growing audiences for swimming?

Counsilman Hunsaker:Increasing participation (learn to swim programs) builds an audience and interest.  The aquatic athletes can be outstanding role models for today youth in sharing life lessons learned.  This could have a profound impact on lifestyle choices of today’s youth.   As our ability to experience a sporting event without being there gets better and better, perhaps swimming sports have an opportunity to increase viewership.  How can aquatic sports increase the viewing experience?  How can we attract more non-swimmers.

Dentsu: We feel that regular swimmers in local pools are not the key fan base for aquatic sport, indeed their participation in local pools can be seen as a result of FINA championships. In our opinion the actual fan base is far more diverse. The key to growing swimming audiences globally is ensuring elite athletes are being developed all over the world then marketing them extensively to create an image synonymous with FINA and aquatic sport.

Great Big Events:One would like to think the audience for elite aquatics sports has the potential to grow when it is considered in the context of recreational participation levels. When I recall the meets we have delivered as FINAs Sport Presentation partner previously, spectator engagement and venue atmosphere has been a key feature of those programs – and it must be. People love to be entertained and certainly our brief is to build that showand to make it attractive to spectators.
In collaboration with FINA and the LOCs we have introduced many new elements to FINA events – sophisticated lighting, statistics, background information, theatrics, innovative athlete introductions and presentations, animated graphics, and specially-developed music programs. We are dealing with an increasingly informed sporting audience and we need to remain ahead of spectator expectations.

International advertising agency Dentsu Inc., FINA’s worldwide marketing partner, will also be an Official Supporter of the 1st FINA World Aquatics Convention.

Dentsu has been delivering exclusive worldwide marketing services to FINA since 2004, successfully negotiating contracts with leading companiesincluding Nikon and Yakult. Dentsu’s mission is to empower global aquatics by creating working partnerships between aquatic sports, the FINA Championships and international brands.

“In order to ensure the continued growth and development of aquatic sport worldwide it is vital to bring the global aquatic community together, which is why Dentsu is proud to be supporting FINA’s first World Aquatics Convention. It will provide an invaluable opportunity to meet as a community and collectively discuss the development and direction of aquatic sport going forward. I hope that the convention will create new global relationships as well as reinforcing existing ones thus strengthening the global aquatic network. It will be a fantastic occasion and I look forward to seeing the united global aquatic community there.”Kiyoshi Nakamura, Director of Sports Division, Dentsu Inc.

At the FINA World Aquatics Convention Dentsu will be showcasing a history of aquatic sport competition from theirexhibition stand, demonstrating how aquatic sport competitions have developed over the years, creating a solid foundation from which the sport can develop and grow, with the FINA World Aquatics Convention acting as a catalyst to that growth.

“The FINA World Aquatics Convention will help the members of the international aquatics community to engage more effectively with each other. This is a service Dentsu has been providing for FINA for many years, helping us to connect with leading brands including some of our existing Partners. It is therefore a natural extension of our relationship for Dentsu to be supporting this event, sponsoring our NetWorker tool to help participants connect with each other in advance to make sure everyone extracts maximum value from this unique gathering.”Cornel Marculescu,FINA Executive Director

The 1st FINA World Aquatics Convention will gather together 500 aquatic industry leaders in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 27 – 29 September. The Convention will include a comprehensive programme of meetings, conference sessions and networking events accompanying a dynamic exhibition to help participants learn, share knowledge and network effectively to accelerate the growth and development of aquatic sport around the world.