It will mark the second time that the Championships, due to take place after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, will have taken place in the United Arab Emirates in a 10 year period after Dubai hosted them in 2010. 

Abu Dhabi was chosen ahead of bids from Almaty in Kazakhstan and Peru's capital Lima following presentations to FINA's ruling Bureau in Kazan, who are gathered in the Russian city for the FINA World Championships, which are due to start on Friday (July 24). 

“We are very happy to return to the UAE, where the 2010 edition of these Championships took place in Dubai, with an outstanding success,” FINA President Julio Maglione said following the announcement.

“I am sure that Abu Dhabi will be also a memorable milestone for the FINA family.”

Abu Dhabi has been a regular stop on the FINA Swimming World Cup circuit at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex and earlier this year hosted a leg of the FINA Open Water World Cup series.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, had missed out on the 2018 edition of the Championships, which were awarded to Chinese city Hangzhou. 

It means that it will be the third time that West Asia has hosted the Championships, with Doha having staged them in 2014.

Istanbul hosted the event in 2012 and Windsor in Canada is due to stage them next year. 

The World Short Course Championships, which takes place in a 25 metres pool, have grown in size and stature since the debut at Palma de Mallorca in 1993 when 313 swimmers from 46 countries took part

At last year's Championships in Doha, 1,300 swimmers from 174 countries competed.

Abu Dhabi is also bidding to host FINA''s World Championships and World Masters Championships in 2021 and 2023.

FINA last month revealed it had received expressions of interest from Buenos Aires in Argentina, Melbourne and Sydney n Australia, Nanjing and Wuhan in China, Fukuoka and Tokyo in Japan, Istanbul in Turkey and Doha in Qatar, along with an unnamed city in Germany.

Australia and Germany later withdrew their interest, but FINA announced the United Arab Emirates had put forward Abu Dhabi or Dubai. 

FINA's Bureau also awarded two other events today.

The 2016 FINA Women’s Water Polo World League Super Final has been awarded to China, although no city or date has been announced.

The FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships in 2018, meanwhile, have been awarded to Perth in Australia on a date to be announced.

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