The 2025 Arena AquaChallenge, Turkey’s premier open water swimming series, made waves again—this time with an Olympic legend. This year, the series featured Sharon Van Rouwendaal as its official guest of honor. Recognized as the “Athlete of the Year” in 2024, Van Rouwendaal met swimmers across three spectacular destinations along the Turkish coast.
The 2025 Arena AquaChallenge season kicked off in the turquoise waters of Kaş, Antalya (May 23–25), was followed by races in İçmeler, Marmaris (October 25–26), and will conclude in Bodrum (2026). Each leg of the series offered multiple race categories—from 1.5K to 7.5K—and a vibrant program of side events, from fun swims to kids’ races and community meetups.
As part of her participation, Sharon Van Rouwendaal led a series of swimming clinics open to registered participants. These sessions provided technical insights, warm-up routines, and first-hand professional experience to swimmers looking to enhance their open water performance. The clinics drew significant interest, particularly among young athletes and competitive swimmers.
Also, a press conference was held on October 24 at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul, where Sharon Van Rouwendaal and event representatives shared insights about the series and its growing global appeal.
Arena AquaChallenge continued to promote sustainability and environmental awareness. All events followed eco-conscious protocols such as reduced single-use plastics, integrated recycling systems, and coastal clean-ups—ensuring that the challenge left a positive impact both in and out of the water.
Recognized as the most comprehensive and highest-standard open water swimming event in the Mediterranean, AquaChallenge continued to grow, bringing together thousands of swimmers. To date, nearly 1,000 clubs and close to 50,000 athletes from 52 different countries have taken part in the races—making it one of the most dynamic and inclusive aquatic events in the region.
For professional athletes, amateur swimmers, and sea-loving adventurers, the Arena AquaChallenge 2025 delivered not only competition but connection, community, and inspiration—alongside one of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen.
For more information: www.aquachallenge.org
About AquaChallenge
Arena AquaChallenge is an international open water swimming event series held in Türkiye, aiming to bring the sport to a wider audience. Open to both professional athletes and amateur swimmers, the event embraces the values of sustainability, environmental awareness, and healthy living. With multiple stages organized across different regions of the country, AquaChallenge offers a year-round celebration of open water swimming.