Shared from Swimming WA https://wa.swimming.org.au/
03 September 2026
Swimming Western Australia (WA) welcomed today’s announcement by Deputy Premier and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Rita Saffioti of a $2.55 million investment to establish Australia’s first and only dedicated endurance swimming hub, based at the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) in Perth.
The hub is the product of close collaboration between Swimming WA, Swimming Australia, WAIS and the State Government, and will give the WA’s distance and open water swimmers a purpose-built environment to train, race and develop without leaving home.
For decades, WA has punched above its weight in the pool and in open water, producing swimmers who have gone on to represent Australia on the world’s biggest stages. This hub confirms WA’s place as the home of endurance swimming, offering athletes and coaches the kind of high-performance support previously only available at a handful of centres internationally.
Delivered through an athlete scholarship model, the hub will sit alongside WA’s existing high-performance programs, including support for para swimmers, and is expected to open the door to further national and international events being hosted in WA, building on Perth’s growing reputation as a genuine swimming destination. That reputation has been built with the ongoing support and advocacy of Tourism WA and VenuesWest, and Swimming WA thanks both organisations for their continued efforts in bringing major events to Western Australia.
“For Swimming WA, this is about giving our endurance swimmers a reason to stay, train and thrive here in Western Australia, instead of chasing that environment somewhere else,” said Emily Randall, CEO of Swimming WA.
“What I’m most proud of is how this hub has come together. It’s a genuine collaboration between Swimming WA, Swimming Australia, WAIS and the State Government, four organisations with different roles but a shared goal: supporting WA’s swimmers to reach the world stage and perform when it matters.
“That kind of alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a real credit to everyone involved that we’ve been able to bring the national body, the institute of sport, our state association and government together behind a single project like this, and it builds on more than 30 years of dedicated support for WA swimming from our Patron, Mrs Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting.
“Our athletes and coaches are the ones who stand to gain the most. This hub means world-class support is now on their doorstep, and I have no doubt it will help shape the next generation of WA swimmers all the way to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.”