By Will Baxley on SwimSwam
Nestled in the mountains of Colombia’s interior, Medellin is known for many things: its weather that earned it the name “city of eternal spring”, its rich urban music scene that churns out superstars like Karol G or J Balvin, and its transition away from the cartel violence that plagued the city in the late 20th century.
On the topic of swimming, though, Colombia’s second biggest city does not typically come to mind. That could change soon, however, as the city starts the construction of a massive aquatic complex and welcomes Colombia’s first ever World Cup stop in 2026.
A New Venue
Medellin mayor Federico Gutierrez announced that construction will soon begin on “Gran Parque Medellin,” a five-sector park and recreational center for the city. One of those sectors will be an aquatics complex that includes two Olympic-sized swimming pools and two semi-Olympic pools.
The aquatics center, which has a price tag of 40 billion Colombian pesos ($10.3 million USD), will be named after Carlos Mauro Hoyos, a former General Inspector of Colombia who was killed by the Medellin Cartel while in office. The center will replace the recreational coliseum of the same namesake, located in the Guayabal region (Comuna 15).
Other features of the park include a 17,000 square meter artificial beach, a wave pool, and a BMX track. Gutierrez says he expects the Park to open in April of 2027.
The Colombian Swimming Federation did not respond to a question about its hopes for the new center.
International Events
Not typically a host of international aquatic events, Medellin has recently landed back-to-back historic championship meets. World Aquatics recently announced that its Artistic Swimming World Cup will kick off in the Antioquia province capital this upcoming February. It will mark the first ever World Cup event in the country. The Paisa home crowd could have a national hero to root for in Gustavo Sanchez, a three-time World Championships medalist in artistic swimming.
The World Cup announcement comes after the city hosted the inaugural Pan American Aquatics Championships earlier this year.
Two back-to-back high caliber aquatic events in Medellin is not common, let alone two that are both milestone firsts in some capacity. In fact, the upcoming World Cup stop will mark the highest-level aquatic sport competition in the country since the 1975 World Championships in Cali. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, much of the top aquatic sports infrastructure concentrates in Brazil and the Southern Cone, so a potential hub elsewhere is significant.
Perhaps Medellin’s biggest obstacle in becoming a top-tier swimming city is its elevation. The city lies approximately 1,500 meters, or 5,000 feet, above sea level.
Zooming out from swimming, Medellin’s capacity for hosting international events and visitors is growing, with year-over-year international tourism increasing 23% in 2024. Business-related tourism in the city is reportedly expected to grow 25% in the next three years.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Is Medellin Becoming A Swimming City?
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