Budapest, Aug 18 (IANS) Artistic swimming is set for further rule changes as the sport moves toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with adjustments to free routines and their length to be announced soon, World Aquatics Artistic Swimming Technical Committee chair Lisa Schott told Xinhua.

"In the new rule changes coming out very, very shortly, you will see some changes in the free routines and their length," Schott said during the Aug. 12-16 World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest.

"I'm just giving a little secret tip there," she added.

Schott described the Budapest event as "the largest Junior Worlds in the history of the sport," with nearly 300 athletes from 35 federations competing and new federations taking part in the championships. "The sport continues to grow in depth and talent," she said, adding that many talented junior athletes had emerged.

Schott also said age should not be used to define an athlete's potential, with some junior swimmers already competing at a very high level, reports Xinhua. "I don't like to put limits on any athlete, because junior or senior, they all have their different level of skill sets," she said.

Budapest will host the World Aquatics Championships again in 2027, with qualification spots for the Los Angeles Olympics at stake. Schott said some athletes at this year's Junior Worlds could be old enough to move into their senior national teams next year. "Competing at a world level is a journey," she said. "Each competition you learn something from and continue to develop."

Schott said the scoring system has also made the competition more unpredictable. "It's unpredictable. We don't know who's going to win," she said. "It gives hope for every athlete, every team that they do have the possibility."

The rules are still evolving, and Schott said coaches and athletes need to make realistic decisions about the level of difficulty they can successfully perform. She said she did not want to see athletes aiming too high only to end up with repeated base marks, jokingly calling such a situation a "base mark party."

The growing presence of male athletes was another feature of the championships that impressed Schott. "We have never had as many males in the sport as we have seen demonstrated here," she said. "The men, the boys, bring a different vibe to the sport, which is great."

Several teams included male athletes in team events in Budapest, with some fielding two men in their lineups. "That's where we want to go," Schott said. "We love the male swimmers in the team. It brings good synergy to the team, a new dynamic, and it shows that the sport is inclusive of all genders."

She expects the trend to continue as male athletes improve. "Stay tuned for more males in the sport," she said.

Looking beyond Budapest to the 2027 World Championships and LA28, Schott said artistic swimming remains in a period of evolution.

"I think we're in a great position. The sport will continue to evolve," she said. "We want to use more technology in our sport."

"We're super excited to go to the Olympics and show the world one more time what an amazing sport artistic swimming is," Schott said.

--IANS

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