World Aquatics expands High Diving World Cup to three stops, adding Zhaoqing, China for 2026

The World Aquatics High Diving World Cup reaches a new milestone this year, growing to three tour stops for the first time ever as Zhaoqing, China, joins this year’s event calendar.

World Aquatics has signed with the China Swimming Association to bring the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup to Zhaoqing, China, from 21-22 November 2026.

Zhaoqing holds a special place in the history of high diving. The city in Southern China opened the world’s first permanent high diving towers – including competition platforms of 27m for men and 20m for women – in 2018 and hosted its first global competition the following year.

At that 2019 World Aquatics High Diving World Cup, Rhiannan Ifflandof Australia and Gary Hunt of France took home top honours. Both athletes have since achieved considerable international success: Iffland has won four of her five world championship titles in the years since, while Hunt has assembled a complete set of World Aquatics Championship medals – gold in 2019 to add to his 2015 world title, silver at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships to match his 2013 result, and bronze in 2023.

“Having a three-event High Diving World Cup tour is such a breath of fresh air and a big step forward for the sport,” said Rhiannan Iffland. “Having the event return to Zhaoqing makes it even more special. I had an incredible experience competing here seven years ago, so the chance to come back is something many of us on the tour have been hoping for. I’m sure it will also be a real highlight for the younger athletes competing here for the first time.”

For Armenian high diver Nikita Fedotov, Zhaoqing represents something close to a homecoming. “Zhaoqing is a place I know very well, because I often train at the high diving facility here,” said Fedotov. “To now see it return as part of the World Cup circuit makes it feel like a second home stop on tour. The conditions here are world-class, and it’s exciting to see more major competitions coming back to a platform that so many of us already trust in training.”

After a captivating opener in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA) in May and an exciting event to come in Porto Flavia, Sardinia (Italy) next week, 2026 marks the first time that the High Diving World Cup has featured more than one World Cup event in a year.

The addition of Zhaoqing brings this year’s High Diving World Cup to three different continents, further expanding the global reach of the sport while providing additional development opportunities to athletes in Asia.

The High Diving World Cup Trophy will also be introduced for the first time, and awarded to the best male and best female athlete across the three stops following the event in Zhaoqing.

“High diving is a sport that demands vision, commitment and an unwavering belief — and in Zhaoqing, we have all three,” said Orlando Duque, Chair of the World Aquatics High Diving Technical Committee and former World Champion. “Building the world’s first permanent high diving towers is one demonstration of that. One of the sport’s barriers to entry, for both athletes and prospective event hosts, is the cost and complexity of constructing competition-grade towers. Bringing the World Cup back to Zhaoqing just feels right. This is not only a great addition to the World Cup circuit but adds momentum to the sport and to athletes practising it at all levels.”

Olympic diving champion Zhou Jihong, World Aquatics Vice President and China Swimming Association President, added: “We are truly excited and grateful about renewing our high diving partnership with World Aquatics and bringing the sport’s global elite back to Zhaoqing. This validates the long-term vision of this facility, and we could not be happier to share it with the world again — both with the athletes who will compete here and with the global audience who will tune in to watch their incredible performances.”

Competition Format and Participation

Athletes will compete from the 27m (men) and 20m (women) platforms in Zhaoqing over a four-dive, two-day competition period, as with the 2026 High Diving World Cup stops in Fort Lauderdale and Porto Flavia.

High Diving History at World Aquatics

Since its debut at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, high diving has continued to grow in both scale and profile. The sport will return to the global championship stage for the eighth time at the World Aquatics Championships – Budapest 2027.