The World Aquatics Foundation named the City of Paris and the Republic of Azerbaijan as the first recipients of its Environmental Award in an announcement timed to World Environment Day on June 5, 2026. Each honoree will receive a grant of 25,000 dollars to further initiatives that protect water resources and aquatic ecosystems. The selections were made by the foundation board after reviewing nominations from its members and the broader aquatic governing body, according to the organisation’s statement.
Paris secured the award through an investment of more than 1.6 billion dollars that improved water quality in the Seine River, modernised supporting infrastructure and restored the ecosystem to levels that supported open water swimming at the 2024 Olympic Games. Supervised swimming zones with daily monitoring now operate in the river while additional public sites are planned across the surrounding Ile-de-France region. World Aquatics figures show the project has enabled broad public access that had been unavailable since 1923 and created cooling areas during periods of extreme heat.
World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam presented the award in Paris on Sunday to officials including Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire and Deputy Mayor Antoine Guillou. Al-Musallam congratulated the city leaders for advancing both environmental recovery and the federation’s sustainability objectives during the ceremony held amid the European Aquatics Championships. The physical award, produced entirely from recycled materials with a ribbon fashioned from repurposed competitive swimwear, was designed to reflect the environmental principles it recognises, the foundation said.
Azerbaijan earned recognition for its sustained governmental focus on environmental protection, resource management and energy transition, efforts that led to its selection as host of the 2026 United Nations World Environment Day. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources directs policy on groundwater, surface resources, restoration projects and hydrometeorological monitoring that includes the nation’s portion of the Caspian Sea. The country’s grant will be formally presented during the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Baku in October, according to the foundation’s published timetable.
In the foundation announcement Husain Al-Musallam stated, “Our athletes compete in water. Preserving our seas, rivers and lakes is central to the survival of our planet and our sport. It is imperative that we all work together across the global sporting community and beyond for this critical issue.” The World Aquatics Foundation was established to tackle interconnected issues including water safety, drowning prevention and the worldwide growth of aquatic sports through targeted education and scholarship programmes. Its environmental arm specifically backs projects that safeguard rivers, lakes and marine environments.
The Seine restoration has incorporated urban planning features that improve river access while maintaining strict safety standards through continuous quality testing. Similar comprehensive monitoring and infrastructure upgrades form part of Azerbaijan’s environmental strategy across multiple natural resource categories. Both awardees demonstrate measurable progress that the foundation intends to highlight as models for other member federations and cities pursuing comparable sustainability targets.
