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The 2010 FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Series
The South African swimmers will participate in the 2010 FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Series in Beijing (12-13 October), followed by Singapore (16-17 October), Tokyo (20-21 October), Berlin (30-31 October), Moscow (2-3 November with the final leg taking place in Stockholm on 6 and 7 November.
Cameron van der Burgh will once again be out to defend his title having won the FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Series for two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009. Van der Burgh made a name for himself in 2008 on the FINA/Arena World Cup circuit with 12 medals and three World Records, becoming the overall winner. Brazil's Silva Felipe is ranked 3rd all time in both the 50m and 100m Breaststroke and is certain to give Van der Burgh a tough fight in those races.
Roland Schoeman - who finished second in 2009, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and George Du Rand will be flying the flag for South Africa in Beijing, whilst Graeme Moore, Kathryn Meaklim, Ronwyn Roper, Jessica Pengelly and Bianca Meyer will be joining them in Singapore.
Du Rand, Ferns, Schoeman, Townsend and Van der Burgh are however the only swimmers who will compete in all six of the FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Events. Schoeman, Van der Burgh and Townsend will be heading to Beijing straight from the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Schoeman, with his trademark fast start, will be competing in the 50m freestyle - where he holds the World Record, 50m breaststroke and 50m butterfly. His duels with the likes of Stefan Nystrand, Amaury Leveaux, Frederick Bosque and Alain Bernard in the 50m freestyle are an eagerly awaited match up.
FINA will be distributing a total of 360,000 US dollars to the winners, while an additional maximum of 50,000 US dollars is reserved for world record breakers.
The overall men's and women's winners receive 100,000, US dollars while those placing second and third receive 50,000 US dollars and 30,000 US dollars respectively.
Sums ranging from 500 US dollars to 1,500 US dollars are also awarded to the winners of each of the 34 races at all seven meets.