European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026

The 2026 European Aquatics Championships are held in Paris, France, from **July 31 to August 16, 2026**. The multi-discipline event covers swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water. Pool swimming specifically runs from **August 10 to 16** at the **Centre Aquatique Olympique** in Saint-Denis, the same venue used for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Sources: European Aquatics, Olympics.com.

Yes, but with a reduced programme. Léon Marchand, France's four-time Olympic champion from Paris 2024, is competing in just **two events**, the 200m butterfly and the 400m freestyle, after pulling out of the 200m and 400m individual medley events due to an adductor strain sustained in June. He has been nursing the injury since withdrawing from the French national championships. The Paris crowd is expecting him to deliver medal performances on home turf at the same pool where he won four Olympic golds in 2024. Sources: European Aquatics, SwimmingWorld Magazine.

Yes. Maxime Grousset, the world champion in the 50m butterfly, is back in competition after three months out with a foot injury. He clocked **22.49 seconds** in the prelims of the men's 50m butterfly on August 10, just 0.01 off both his French record and the championship record (both standing at 22.48), and enters tonight's final (August 11) as the top qualifier. He faces stiff competition from rivals who have trained uninterrupted, but remains the favourite. Sources: SwimmingWorld Magazine, European Aquatics.

The first night of pool finals (August 10) produced three medal events. **Great Britain swept both 4x200m freestyle relay titles** in championship-record fashion: the men's team of James Guy, Jack McMillan, Matthew Richards and Duncan Scott won in **7:01.52 (CR)**, with France second (7:02.23) and Germany third (7:02.28); the women's team also won, pulling away by over three seconds. In the individual events, **Ilia Borodin (Neutral Authorized Athlete)** won the men's 400m individual medley in a championship record **4:08.17**, with Italy's Alberto Razzetti taking silver (4:10.40) and Great Britain's Max Litchfield bronze (4:11.58). Sources: SwimSwam, Olympics.com, European Aquatics.

The top names include: **Léon Marchand** (France, 4× Olympic champion, men's 200m fly & 400m free); **Maxime Grousset** (France, world champion 50m fly); **Sarah Sjöström** (Sweden, all-time sprint legend, multiple European titles); **Thomas Ceccon** (Italy, world record holder 100m backstroke); and **Adam Peaty** (Great Britain, former world record holder 100m breaststroke). Sources: European Aquatics, Olympics.com.

The **Centre Aquatique Olympique** is located in **Saint-Denis**, just north of Paris, near the Stade de France. It was purpose-built for the Paris 2024 Olympics and is now the permanent home for national-level aquatics events in France. The 50m competition pool and its diving facilities were used for multiple Olympic finals in 2024, including all four of Léon Marchand's gold-medal swims. Sources: European Aquatics.

Broadcast rights vary by country. In France the event is live on France Télévisions and on the official European Aquatics streaming platform. In the UK, BBC and Eurosport typically cover major international swimming. In Germany, Eurosport / Discovery+. The European Aquatics website (europeanaquatics.org) also provides live results and streams. Sources: European Aquatics, Olympics.com.

The 2026 edition is the **centennial, 100th anniversary** edition of the European Aquatics Championships, making it a landmark event. First held in 1926, the championships have grown from a purely swimming competition to a multi-discipline event covering five aquatic sports. Hosting the centennial in Paris, at the Centre Aquatique Olympique built for the 2024 Olympics, adds symbolic weight to the milestone. Sources: European Aquatics.

The pool swimming programme runs from **August 10 to August 16, 2026**. The overall event (including diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water) runs from July 31 to August 16. Medal events in the pool take place each evening session, with preliminary heats in the morning. Sources: European Aquatics.

Day 2 finals (August 11) produced six medal events. **Marrit Steenbergen** (Netherlands) won the women's 100m freestyle in **51.90**, her third straight championship title in the event, ahead of compatriot Milou van Wijk (52.71) and Italy's Sara Curtis (52.72). **Katie Shanahan** (Great Britain) took the women's 200m backstroke in 2:06.13. **Nicolò Martinenghi** (Italy) won the men's 100m breaststroke in 58.58. **Simona Quadarella** (Italy) won the women's 800m freestyle in 8:15.55. In the men's 50m butterfly, Egor Kornev (Neutral Athletes B) edged France's Maxime Grousset, 22.52 to 22.54. **France won the mixed 4x100m medley relay** in 3:39.64, ahead of the Netherlands (3:40.92). Sources: European Aquatics, Olympics.com.

Day 3 (August 12) delivered the meet's marquee race: Romania's **David Popovici** won the men's 100m freestyle in a championship-record **46.56**, out-touching Egor Kornev (Neutral Athletes, 46.74) with Hungary's Kristof Milak taking bronze (46.87), Popovici's third straight continental title in the event. Sweden's **Sarah Sjostrom** won the women's 50m butterfly in **25.05**, ahead of Roos Vanotterdijk (25.12) and Sara Junevik (25.51). Ireland's **Ellen Walshe** won the women's 400m individual medley. Sources: Olympics.com, SwimSwam, European Aquatics.

Day 4 (August 13) evening finals cover the women's 100m butterfly, men's 200m freestyle, women's 200m breaststroke, men's 50m backstroke, women's 1500m freestyle, and the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay. Morning heats include the women's 50m freestyle, men's 50m breaststroke, women's 100m backstroke, men's 200m butterfly, and women's 200m individual medley. Sources: European Aquatics, Olympics.com.