Australian Open Water Cup

Season 2 – 2026 Australian Open Water Cup is a national, multi-leg open water swimming series designed to develop elite athletes, strengthen club engagement, and elevate Australia’s global presence in open water sport. This initiative supports long-term athlete pathways, delivers economic and social value to host communities, and provides a platform for national and international competition.

The Australian Cup aims to achieve the following strategic outcomes:

• Develop Elite Talent – Establish a structured, high-quality domestic competition pathway to identify and support high-potential open water swimmers, enabling them to test and refine race strategies in a competitive environment. 
• Drive Club Participation – Foster healthy competition among clubs to raise performance standards and enhance grassroots engagement across the country.
• Promote Australia Internationally – Position the Australian Cup as a competitive and reputable platform to attract international athletes and raise Australia’s profile in the global open water swimming community.
• Structured Racing Calendar – Create a seasonal competition flow:
  • September to February – Focus on domestic racing for athlete development
  • February onwards – Shift towards international racing opportunities
  • Enhanced current state OW championship attendance

• Strengthen the Junior Pathway – Provide junior athletes the chance to learn from and compete alongside senior-level swimmers, accelerating development through real-time experience in elite race settings.

The series includes five competitive rounds across diverse Australian locations, each delivered in partnership with state swimming bodies:

Eligible events for points (5Km & 10Km) for the overall winner of Australian Open Water Cup. See more information below under ‘Scoring System’.

Each leg is designed to challenge endurance, strategy, and team dynamics, offering a comprehensive athlete experience.

Integrated Events

Current State Open Water Championships will act as the races that makes up the Australian Cup concept and will be conducted as a single event in each state, not as separate competitions. This ensures alignment of resources, maximises participation, and provides athletes with a unified race experience.

Educational workshops can be delivered at each Australian Cup Series events, if planned and requested in advance. Led by Fernando Possenti or Kareena Clark. Investment for these events will come from Swimming Australia HP unit.

The event welcomes swimmers of all levels—emerging juniors, national elites, and international competitors.

• Open entry: Inclusive of clubs, independent swimmers, and international guests
• Knockout formats: Adding variety and spectator appeal.

To add additional incentives to domestic championship events the Australian Cup will act as an additional pathway and funding opportunity for HP activities. This requires a clear point-based system to provide fairness and objective criteria for funding allocations. Separate rankings will be maintained for men and women and published on the HP website.

Scoring System:

• 1^st – 15 pts; 2^nd – 12 pts; 3^rd – 10 pts; 4^th – 8 pts; 5^th – 6 pts; 6^th – 4 pts; 7^th – 2 pts; 8^th – 1 point.
• All athletes who finish within the event cut-off time (*New times published by World Aquatics) will be awarded 1 point.
• In case of ties in the final score, the following tie-breaking criteria will be used in the order described below:

1. a) Direct confrontation between swimmers involved in one or more events.
2. b) Total number of Dolphins & Flippers athletes present in the event.
3. c) Number of participations in events exceeding the 3 considered for scoring.

• State associations may choose to present awards independently

Series Champions (Male & Female) will:

• There will be separate overall rankings for women and men. Additionally, there will be separate overall rankings for the best junior girl and boy (U19).
• Determined by the best 3 results across the Australian Cup Series.
• Will receive the Australian Cup Trophy
• Points will be used to provide additional funding to attend Leg 1 of the 2027 World Aquatics OW World Cup.
  • This additional funding will provide the highest ranked Male and Female swimmers, an opportunity to attend Leg 1 of the 2027 World Aquatics World Cup (TBC).

Stakeholder Benefits

For Athletes:

• National exposure and pathway progression
• Competitive benchmark opportunities
• Financial and logistical support for international competition
• Guaranteed participation in Flippers Camp 2027 (U19)

For Clubs:

• Increased visibility and recruitment appeal
• Support for athlete development and retention
• Recognition for high-performing squads

For States:

• State based pathway activities to promote and support development of domestic competition opportunities.
• Increased participation of HP athletes into state championship activities over time.

Rules and Regulations

• Events held as part of the Australian Cup will be delivered to the Open Water Swimming rules of the host State Federation, as applicable.
• The Australian Cup Series will be conducted under Swimming Australia Open Water by-laws which are in accordance with the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Rules.
• In any climatic or circumstantial reasons that put the participating athletes and the execution of the event at risk (water safety and/or water quality) will be fully evaluated and decided upon by the organizing state, with no impact or cost related to the AUS Cup in case of cancellation.