On your marks, get set... swim! Take up the challenge of the EDF Aqua Challenge open water tour!
"EDF Aqua Challenge, what is it?"
It's an event organized since 2018 by EDF - official partner of the French Swimming Teams - and the French Swimming Federation to discover open-water swimming.
"What is the objective?"
To enable everyone, whether amateur or more experienced swimmers, the pleasure of swimming in unforgettable settings, all in an atmosphere of sharing and encounter. Whether it's a stretch of water held back by a dam, a pool in the heart of the capital, the waves of the Mediterranean or the Atlantic, there's something for every taste and level! Several distances are proposed, from 1,000 to 6,000 m.
"What if the event is too far from home?"
Not to worry: the tour has 12 stops throughout France: Antibes, Marseille, Cannes, Bordeaux, Martigues, Verdon, Quiberon, Serre-Ponçon, Annecy, Six-Fours, Paris, Toulon and Nice. There's bound to be an event near you!
"What is open water swimming?"
This discipline is practiced in a natural environment, i.e. in the sea, in a lake, in a river... Whatever the environment, it requires good endurance. A good sense of tactics is also useful! To adapt to the course and race conditions (wind, currents, waves, water temperature), you need to make the right choices...
"Is it an Olympic discipline?"
Yes, but only since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games! Before 1991, all swimming competitions took place in swimming pools... Only the 10 km distance is now an Olympic discipline, known as "marathon swimming". French swimmers, who picked up 3 medals at the last World Open Water Championships in February, are dreaming of victories at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games...
Photo credits: Philippe PONGENTY