LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup in Denmark first wave of more events

Europe's strongest open water swimmers raced in Copenhagen this weekend. For the first – but not the last – time Danish Swimming Federation in cooperation with Sport Event Denmark and the city of Copenhagen staged the 5th leg of the LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup on the Olympic 10 km distance. The event took place in the very heart of Copenhagen in the canals, and Denmark wants to stage more swimming events.
 
- Do it again! You have a fantastic setting here in Copenhagen with a course not seen anywhere else in Europe. The spectators were amazing and the volunteers also. The coaches and swimmers tell me that they had a great experience. So yes, let us be part of it again, says Rolf Ingold, LEN representative.

The strong swimmers from great open water nations such as Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Israel, Czech Republic and Sweden raced in the LEN European Cup in Copenhagen. Danish swimmers participated to learn from the best. Denmark and Danish swimming now plan on bidding for and hosting more swimming events in the future.

Director of the Danish Swimming Federation, Pia Holmen:

- It has been a great pleasure for us to play host of a LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup today and it makes us want to go for more. The Danish Swimming Federation has decided to focus more on open water swimming in the future. And we therefore also want to take an active part in staging events both – because we want to position us as a significant swimming nation and also to give the Danish swimmers the possibility to compete on home ground, says Pia Holmen, CEO, The Danish Swimming Federation.
  
 Sport Event Denmark that partners the event also sees the LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup ad the first step towards new international swimming events:

- The LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup in Copenhagen is the only leg of the cup, which is staged in the heart of a big city. We have previously hosted the FINA Open Water World Cup and the European Short Course Championships. For Denmark this European Open Water Swimming Cup is the next step towards more international swimming events. We thus bid for a FINA Open Water World Cup and for the European Short Course Swimming Championships, says Lars Lundov, CEO, Sport Event Denmark.

Almost 3,300 recreational swimmers the same course earlier in the day
Denmark loves swimming and open water swimming is the new black. The top swimmers this weekend were sent off in to the canals on the course, that earlier had been used by almost 3,300 recreational swimmers in TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim.

Winners:
Men:

1. Matej Kozubek, CZE
2. Rob Muffels, GER
3. Pepijn Smits, NED

Women:

1.  Svenja Zihsler, GER

2.  Sarah Bosslet, GER

3.  Finnia Wunram, GER Women:

PHOTOS: 
Winners – men and women: Credit: Jesper Wesley
Feeding 10K: Credit. Jesper Wesley

Contacts:

Nora Thomsen, comm. manager, Danish Swimming Federation, mobile: +45 21490937
Eline Andersen, comm. manager, Sport Event Denmark, mobile: +45 51 22 53 85