Madeira to host 2020 World Para Swimming European Championships

Funchal, Madeira Island, will host the 2020 World Para Swimming European Open Championships, the second time the Portuguese island stages the event.

The competition will take place from 17 to 23 May and will be open to athletes from other continents as one of the most important tests before the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in August.

Nearly 500 swimmers from more than 50 countries are set to compete at the Penteada Olympic Swimming Complex, located right in the centre of Funchal.

Built in 2004, the venue is the same used at the European Open Championships in 2016 which saw a total of 28 world records broken during seven days of competition

The Madeira 2020 Europeans will be jointly organised by the Portuguese Swimming Federation (FPN), the Madeira Swimming Association (AN Madeira), the Municipal Chamber of Funchal and the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

Tracy Glassford, World Para Swimming Manager, said:

"We are thrilled to return to Funchal and Madeira for the European Championships. We have fond memories of the 2016 Euros and look forward to an even more successful competition. Since this is an Open Championships, swimming fans from all over the continent will have the chance to watch the best athletes in the world in action ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

"The Europeans are also a great opportunity for up and coming athletes who will experience a major international competition for the first time. I would like to thank the Government of Madeira, the City of Funchal, the Madeira Swimming Association and the Portuguese Swimming Federation for their commitment and support to stage such an important event."

Antonio Jose Silva, President of the Portuguese Swimming Federation, said:

"By granting the European Open Championships to Madeira, World Para Swimming acknowledges the capacity of the Portuguese Swimming Federation and its partners to organise major swimming events. It is also a statement of the work done by FPN to promote inclusion through sport which was later followed by other sport federations in Portugal.

"Last but not least, this is also a testimony to the results achieved by Portuguese swimmers in different classes. My sincere thank you to World Para Swimming, the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth, the AN Madeira, the Regional Government of Madeira and the Municipal Chamber of Funchal for their unconditional support."

The first World Para Swimming European Championships took place in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2009. Dublin, Ireland, hosted the last edition in 2018.

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