The Beijing 2008 water polo venue will host the fifth stop in the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series ©FINA

With Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre, the Water Cube, being transformed into the Ice Cube in time to host curling at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Ying Tung Natatorium will stage action from the three-day International Swimming Federation (FINA) Artistic Swimming World Series from tomorrow.

The venue is within the Olympic Sports Centre, hosted water polo matches during the Beijing 2008 Games and has a seating capacity of 4,852.

This is the fifth of the nine planned stops in the Series, following events in Paris, Alexandroupolis, Kazan and Tokyo.

The host nation has entered just four of the 10 available categories – it will be seeking medals in the mixed duet technical, mixed duet free, team technical and free combination sections.

China competed in the free combination event at last month's FINA Artistic Swimming World Series event in Tokyo and will do so again when they host the latest leg, which starts in Beijing tomorrow ©Getty Images
China competed in the free combination event at last month's FINA Artistic Swimming World Series event in Tokyo and will do so again when they host the latest leg, which starts in Beijing tomorrow ©Getty Images

Canada and Ukraine will be the most widely ambitious of entrants, having entered in seven events.

Canadian swimmers will contest the solo technical, solo free, duet technical, duet free, team technical – the only category where they will be in competition with China – team free and highlights.

Ukraine are entered in the same events as Canada, save for one category.

They contest the free combination against China rather than entering the highlights, which will feature hosts against Canada.

France has entered in six categories – solo free, duet tech, duet free, team tech and team free.

Some 10 nations will be involved, with Australia, Italy, Japan, Russia, Serbia and Uzbekistan completing the line-up.

Japan, which won four golds at the last Series event in Tokyo, has entered just two categories in China – mixed duet technical and mixed duet free.