Fukuoka, Japan, July 30, 2023: China finished on top of the medal rankings as the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan came to a close on Sunday evening.
China topped the table with 20 gold medals, eight silver and 12 bronze for 40 total medals. Australia was second on 15-9-6 and the United States third on 7-22-15.
Host nation Japan (4-1-5) finished fourth, ahead of France (4-0-4) in fifth and Germany (4-0-3) in sixth.
Hong Kong China was joint 21st with one swimming silver, while Kazakhstan and Korea were joint 26th with one artistic swimming bronze and one swimming bronze, respectively.
China’s 20 gold medals came in diving (12 from 13 events), artistic swimming (3) and swimming (5), including a men’s breaststroke treble for Qin Haiyang at 50-100-200m. Qin won a fourth gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Marking the 20th edition since the inaugural event was held 50 years ago, 2,361 athletes from a record-tying 191 countries and regions and the World Aquatics Refugee Team competed in front of 135,000 spectators over the course of the July 14-30 championships.
The event again showed its global appeal as 320 hours of live video coverage and 17 hours of highlights programmes were distributed worldwide.
“Fukuoka has been an exceptional home for our athletes and our aquatics family. I will remember this city for its beauty. I will remember it for the wonderful friendly welcome that we have all received from every single person that we have met. But, above all, I will remember Fukuoka for the incredible performances of our athletes,” said World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam.
“Fukuoka is very special. Arigato, Japan, Arigato, Fukuoka.”
Swimmers set a stunning 10 world records in Fukuoka, as well as 38 continental records, 14 championship records and four world junior records.
Meanwhile, the local organising committee of the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024 has unveiled the official logo and brand of the championships, scheduled to take place from February 2-18, 2024.
This announcement came after the flag handover ceremony held on the final night of competition at the World Aquatics Championships - Fukuoka 2023 in Japan.
The official delegation of the Doha 2024 local organising committee, led by His Excellency Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Albuainain, Vice Chairman of the Doha 2024 Local Organising Committee and Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, received the World Aquatics flag, symbolizing the passing of the torch to Doha as the upcoming host city for this prestigious sporting event.