Transitional era for "artistic swimming" promotes new talents to the senior team with intensive European training ahead of the 20th Asian Games 2026.
On 8 July 2026, updates on the Thai national team preparing for the 20th Asian Games, scheduled from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The Thailand Aquatic Sports Association is sending athletes in all four disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, and artistic swimming.
For artistic swimming, the Thailand Aquatic Sports Association sent a team of 13 athletes and 4 coaches to Italy for a one-month training camp, starting 7 April 2026. The team competed in various European events to enhance skills, techniques, and physical strength for international competition, while modernizing their routines to align with global standards. The Thai team achieved excellent results, winning championships in three countries: Brescia, Italy; the Hungarian National Championships; and the Swiss Youth Championships.
"Coach Tuck" Thanawit Thosakul, Secretary-General of the Thailand Aquatic Sports Association, revealed that sending this artistic swimming team to compete in Europe was aimed at gaining experience since most are rising stars expected to be the future of Thailand’s national team. The association will reassess performances at the Asian Age Group Championships 2026, held from 17-25 July 2026 in Thailand. For the 20th Asian Games, the association aims to improve on previous results.
"Coach Lookwa" Yaninee Jaturongkul, artistic swimming coach, stated that after the 33rd SEA Games last year, all senior national athletes retired, leading to the promotion of youth aged 13-15 who had won SEA Age Group titles to the senior team. They have been training since February at the Sports Authority of Thailand swimming pool in Huamark, preparing for the Asian Age Group Championships hosted by Thailand to gain exposure to top Asian competition. Artistic swimming demands experience, composure, and concentration.
"It is still uncertain how the team will perform at the 20th Asian Games because the athletes lack experience and must learn much from international competitions. It will be difficult to win medals given stronger teams such as China, Japan, Kazakhstan, and others. However, overall performance must improve," said the head coach of Thailand’s artistic swimming team.