IISA 2nd European Open Ice Swimming Championships — Molveno 2026 Molveno, Italy 3-7 February 2026

IISA Press Release 

The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) today concludes the 2nd European Open Ice Swimming Championships, held in Molveno, Italy, 3 – 7 February 2026. The Championships brought together 512 qualified athletes from 32 nations in competition across a full programme of sprint and middle-distance pool events under officially sanctioned ice swimming conditions (water temperatures near freezing). 

Conditions and Terms

Ice Swimming (IISA) is a swimming sport in which swimmers wear standard pool-racing swimsuits, a silicone cap, and a pair of goggles. Nothing else! Start dives and tumble turns are not allowed. The start or a turn may not exceed 5m before the head must breach the surface, and swimming begins. Water temperatures must be 5.0 °C or lower. 

In Molveno, the water temperature started at a chilly 1.3 °C and rose to 2.8 °C on the 5th day. Heavy snow fell on the first day, followed by rain the next day, with an air temperature of 1 °C. The average water temperature over the five days was 2 °C.

Participation by Event and Gender

Overall, the event had 512 entries and 1945 starts. 57% of participants were male, and 43% were female. The oldest male swimmer was Gerhard Moder, 88y, from Austria. The oldest female swimmer was Isabella Castiglioni, 79y, from Italy. On the youth side, the youngest male swimmer was Yarden Ben Porat, 15, from Israel, and the youngest female swimmers were Viola Leinfelder and Alina Kirchermeier, both 13, from Germany. The IISA safety age limit allows swimmers as young as 12 years to compete in 50m only, 14 years to compete up to 250m freestyle, 16 years to compete up to 500m freestyle, and 18 years to compete in the 1000m.

Distances covered in the event:

50m [freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke]. 100m [freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke]. 200 Individual Medley. 250m freestyle. 500m freestyle. 1000m freestyle. On the relay side, the event covered 4x50m freestyle, 4x50m individual medley, 4x250m freestyle country relay, and the fun 4x50m freestyle VIP and Olympians relay. The VIP relay is a tradition started by IISA President Ram Barkai a few years ago. It is by invitation only and allows role players, the IISA board, VIPs, and chairs of country federations to swim together and celebrate the sport.

The longer distances, such as 1000, 500, 250 and 200 IM, do not have finals because of the increased load on the swimmers. These events hold only heats, with the fastest heat by seeding time acting as the final race. The shorter distances, 50m and 100m, have heats and finals. 

"This has been the best international event we have had since the beginning", said Ram Barkai, founder and president of IISA. "It was highly professional, safety was well organised with 5 international Ice Swimming Doctors, and the process ran smoothly according to plan. We will be back here again in the future", Barkai added. 

For more detailed information on the results and participation, visit the IISA website: Event Link.

The event was hosted by Molveno in the Italian Alps, with Paolo Chiarino, a veteran ice swimmer and the first chair of IISA Italy, serving as the event organiser, alongside Davide Belleti and a team from the local authorities. 

Denis Cabon, a well-known World Aquatics referee from France, served as chief referee, assisted by Wojtek Kosiedowski from Poland.

IISA board: Petar Sotychev [VP Bulgaria], Jonty Warneken [VP GB], Francois Bonnicci [Switzerland], Susan Sherween [NZ] and Joe Zamaitis [USA], together with Ram Barkai [IISA President RSA], all took an active role in running the event. "It was fantastic to be part of the team. Each board member rolled up their sleeves and got involved," said Francois. 

Medal Summary

Romania led the Championships in the overall medal count with 19 podium places, including six gold, seven silver, and six bronze across the elite and masters categories. Germany came second with 14 medals, six of them gold, and France had 8 medals, two of them gold. Italy, the host, came 4th overall with 4 medals. 

In the Age Group category, Great Britain took first place with a whopping 105 medals: 52 gold, 34 silver, and 19 bronze. GB was closely followed by Germany with 99 medals and France with 83.

In the PARA category, Denmark led the medal table with 11 medals, 5 of them gold, followed by Germany with 10 and GB with 7 medals.

World and Championship Records

While Molveno 2026 focused on continental competition, multiple performances met significant time standards. World Records broken at Molveno 2026:

Swimmer                  Country                                    Age      Gender      Distance                                          WR Time
George Gimalov      Individual Neutral Swimmer      21        Male          50m Butterfly                                  00:26.15
Viktoriia Lisitskaia    Individual Neutral Swimmer      21        Female       FINALS: 100m Breaststroke         01:15.74
Prisecariu Aissia       Romania                                  18        Female       FINALS: 100m Backstroke            01:07.04
Viktoriia Lisitskaia    Individual Neutral Swimmer       21        Female       FINALS: 50m Breaststroke           00:34.61
Daria Silisteanu        Romania                                   17        Female       FINALS: 50m Backstroke              00:31.34

"It is important to note that in Ice Swimming Events, swimmers are not allowed to dive, tumble turn, or push more than 5m from the start or turn wall. These are safety measures, and it is fantastic to see world-class records set under such terms", said Petar Stoychev.

In the Age Group Category, an astounding 68 World Records were broken, with 32 by male swimmers and 36 by female swimmers. "It warms my heart to see people in the age group record achieving such fantastic results in the ICE. And they just continue to get better and better."

Growth and Participation Trends

The Molveno Championships significantly increased participation compared with previous continental events. With 512 athletes from 32 nations, this edition demonstrated the continued growth of competitive ice swimming across Europe and beyond, with entries across sprint, middle, relay, age-group, and inclusive Para categories. 

Para Ice Swimming Highlights

Building on the success of the dedicated para categories, para swimmers once again demonstrated world-class performance and resilience in Molveno, competing under the same demanding conditions and rules as the broader field.

Para swimmers from Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Israel, and other nations achieved multiple podium finishes and record-breaking swims, underlining the rapid global development of para ice swimming and reinforcing IISA’s commitment to inclusion.

“The grit and determination shown by our para swimmers this week in Molveno have been nothing short of legendary,” said Jonty Warneken. “We are not just making history; we are redefining what para swimmers can achieve and what inclusive sport truly means. Para athletes have always been at the heart of IISA, and their success continues to drive our mission to build a fully inclusive sporting world.”

News at IISA

IISA has decided to return to Oradea, Romania. Located in north-west Romania in Transylvania, it offers strong facilities and a suitable environment for ice swimmers.

"We are aiming for January 2027, with exact dates to be confirmed once we receive formal approval from the Oradea Aquatic Centre, which includes a 50m outdoor pool and a heated 50m indoor pool", Barkai said. "We expect around 1000 participants from close to 50 countries."

IISA is preparing significant changes for 2026, to be implemented in Oradea in 2027. Details will be finalised by the IISA Board and committees, with safety and integrity as priorities.

In 2027, Elite and Age Group competitors from Oradea will compete separately; swimmers must choose and qualify for one category and will be eligible to record performances only within that category. This will allow Elite and Age Group swimmers to compete in different events and support recognition of Elite records by World Aquatics and, ultimately, the IOC.

IISA is engaging with WADA and intends to run the Oradea 2027 Elite races in compliance with WADA standards. There are no plans to apply WADA requirements to Age Group swimmers at this stage.

IISA will also review its rules to clarify distinctions between the Elite and Age Group categories.

Stay warm — see you in the ICE.