113 athletes from 16 countries ready to speed in the Colombian waters with the help of their fins

The 2024 FISU World University Championships Finswimming will take place in Pereira (COL) on 26 and 27 April. Find out more about this extremely elegant sport that takes place on the surface and under the water.

Finswimming entered the very large family of FISU Recognised Sports in 2017. If you aren’t an expert, here are some information on a sport that we all understand involves swimming with fins. But you probably didn’t know that the student-athletes can swim on the surface of the water (in a pool or in open water) as well as under, that they can use a monofin or bi-fins and that they can hold their breath, breathe through a snorkel or even by using an underwater apparatus…

Three different categories

The World Underwater Federation’s official definition of finswimming is the following: “by finswimming we mean the progression with monofin or with bi-fins either on the surface or underwater, by means of the swimmers’ muscular force only and without use of any mechanism, not even muscle powered. For underwater disciplines with breathing equipment, only compressed-air sub-aqua equipment is allowed.” Let’s dive in…

The student-athletes will be competing in three different categories. Surface finswimming (SF), which takes place on the surface of the water using mask, snorkel, and monofins. Swimmers must remain on the surface of the water at all times for the duration of the race except when they start or making a turn at the end of the swimming pool.

Then there is Apnea finswimming (AP), which is underwater swimming in a swimming pool using a mask, monofins and holding one’s breath. AP races are held for the distance of 50 meters. A swimmer’s face must be immersed for the duration of the race otherwise he/she risks disqualification.

And finally Immersion finswimming (BF) is using mask, monofins and underwater breathing apparatus conducted in a swimming pool. It cannot be exchanged or abandoned during a race. Here the swimmer’s face must also be immersed for the whole duration of the race.

Water and… coffee

The best way to understand finswimming is of course to watch a competition. Over the next two days, 113 athletes from 16 countries will be competing in the outdoor Olympic swimming pool of the Aquatic Sports Village in Pereira and the races will be streamed live on FISU.tv (see below). Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It’s located in the foothills of the Andes in a coffee-producing area of Colombia officially known as the “Coffee Axis”, which is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia”. The weather will be cloudy with some showers, with a daytime temperature of about 27 degrees. Ready to jump into the world of finswimming?

The programme:

26 April (morning – from 16h00 CET): 50m AP Women; 50m BF Women; 100m SF Men; 100m BF Men; 200m SF Women; 200m BF Women; 400m SF Men; 400m BF Men; 800m SF Women slow heats; 4x100m SF mixed (if more than 8 teams); 4x50m BF mixed (if more than 8 teams).

26 April (afternoon – from 23h00 CET): 50m AP Women final; 50m BF Women final; 100m SF Men final; 100m BF Men final; 200m SF Women final; 200m BF Women final; 400m SF Men final; 400m BF Men final; 800m SF Women fast heat; 4x100m SF final mixed; 4x50m BF final mixed.

27 April (morning – from 16h00 CET): 50m AP Men; 50m BF Men; 100m SF Women; 100m BF Women; 200m SF Men; 200m BF Men; 400m SF Women; 400m BF Women; 800m SF Men slow heats; 4x100m BF mixed (if more than 8 teams): 4x50m SF mixed (if more than 8 teams).

27 April (afternoon – from 23h00 CET): 50m AP Men final, 50m BF Men final, 100m SF Women final, 100m BF Women final, 200M SF Men final, 200M BF Men final, 400m SF Women final, 400m BF Women final, 800m SF Men fast heat, 4x100m BF final mixed, 4x50m SF final mixed, closing ceremony.

Watch live on 26 and 27 April, from 16h00 CET on

Written by Thérèse Courvoisier