The World Aquatics Foundation has appointed Leon Marchand as its first ambassador, within a framework created to develop programmes linked to water safety, athlete education and environmental sustainability. The French swimmer, a four-time Olympic champion, will support the Foundation’s initiatives throughout 2026.
Established in 2025 by World Aquatics, the Foundation channels projects ranging from community-based activity to high-performance sport, with an operational focus on education, local capacity building and equitable access to aquatic sports.
Scholarships, local training and prevention
The core pillar of the Foundation’s activity is the Discover Water programme, designed to address drowning as a global public health issue. The initiative is structured around the training of local instructors, the creation of community networks and the progressive teaching of essential water safety skills, primarily targeting children and families.
Discover Water goes beyond teaching swimming techniques, incorporating knowledge on safe behaviour in aquatic environments, risk prevention and adaptation to the geographic and cultural realities of each region. The model prioritises long-term sustainability through the training of local educators, avoiding short-term interventions and supporting continuous implementation over time.
Alongside water safety, the World Aquatics Foundation runs athlete development programmes through scholarships for athletes from different countries, providing access to World Aquatics Training Centres with international-level facilities and technical support. This system aims to reduce inequalities in sports education and enable development pathways that are not determined solely by economic or geographic conditions. These initiatives are complemented by projects focused on protecting aquatic ecosystems, aligned with the World Aquatics Sustainability Blueprint, which sets environmental and social responsibility standards across federative and competitive activities.
The role of the athlete in programme visibility
Within this framework, Marchand’s role is integrated as a point of visibility and connection with elite sport. The swimmer has previously taken part in initiatives aimed at improving access to swimming, including the Milomano programme in Madagascar, developed with the support of the Foundation. As ambassador, his role will focus on giving greater exposure to the Foundation’s different areas of work.
“I know from my own experience the educational and social value of aquatic sports,” Marchand said, highlighting the importance of ensuring that children and young people can acquire basic water safety skills and access safe environments for practice. His involvement is intended to amplify the reach of the programmes, particularly in regions where access to aquatic education remains limited.
A global framework with local application
The World Aquatics Foundation works with national federations, local organisations and institutional partners to adapt its programmes to different national and regional contexts. In the case of Discover Water, implementation is supported by educational guidelines, training standards and evaluation processes that enable progressive deployment, from pilot initiatives to long-term national plans.
The inclusion of athlete ambassadors is conceived as support for this operational model, in which elite sport coexists with educational and community-based programmes. The Foundation thus maintains a structure designed to combine international governance with local delivery, placing water safety, education and sustainable development at the core of its activities.
