The Swimming World Cup is being held in Baku for the first time, running from October 1 to 3 at the Water Sports Palace, according to World Aquatics.
The tournament opens the "Silk Road Tour", a three‑event series that will also visit Tashkent (October 8–10) and Astana (October 15–17), Sputnik Azerbaijan reports.
Baku has brought together 216 athletes from 44 countries, including Olympic medallists, world champions, and current world record holders, including Australian Olympic 50m freestyle champion Cameron McEvoy, Chinese world champion Qin Haiyang, four-time Olympic medalist Siobhán Haughey (Hong Kong), and current world record holders Marrit Steenbergen (Netherlands) and Evgeniia Chikunova (Russia).
The World Cup offers a $1.2 million prize purse, with top finishers also able to qualify for the World Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing in December. Notably, the Russian national team is competing under its flag and anthem for the first time.
