The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has been renamed World Aquatics after a new constitution was approved at the organisation’s Extraordinary General Congress in Melbourne earlier this week.

Fürjes insisted it was "time for change" after more than 100 years as FINA and heaped praised on Al-Musallam for pushing ahead with a series of reforms to breathe new life into the worldwide governing body for swimming, artistic swimming, open water swimming, diving, high diving and water polo since he was elected as President in June 2021.

"World Aquatics has arrived under Husain's leadership into the 21st century and there is more to come," the Hungarian official told insidethegames.

"I look forward to next year with Fukuoka hosting the World Aquatics Championships and then the Paris Olympic Games and the next edition of the World Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest in 2024.

"It was time for change.

"As [International Olympic Committee] President [Thomas] Bach said 'change or be changed'.

"I really have to emphasise Husain Al-Musallam’s leadership.

"With his leadership and Brent Nowicki as a relatively new executive director and an increasing balance between male and female leaders in the Bureau, good things are happening around aquatics and that’s promising."

Fürjes, the State Secretary for Budapest in Hungary, was speaking on the sidelines of the World Swimming Championships (25m) in Melbourne.

The Australian city stepped into the breach to stage the event after Russian city Kazan was stripped of the hosting rights in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It was not the first time the organisation had to make a late change this year as Budapest replaced Fukuoka as host of the World Aquatics Championships after the Japanese city postponed its staging of the event until 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fürjes, who was chairman of the Budapest 2022 Organising Committee, believes "unity" within World Aquatics was key to its ability to overcome the disruption to ensure both events went ahead this year.

"If you look at the whole year from a World Aquatics perspective what a year it has been," said Fürjes.

"Very few International Federations would be able to replace host cities in such a short time with such an excellent delivery.

"The World Aquatics family is united and with that unity, you can act quickly and efficiently," said Fürjes of what makes the organisation stand out.

"The other one is definitely experience.

"FINA was established in 1908 and has always been one of the most important Olympic sports and federations.

"The third one is flexibility so we can react to the challenges."