FINA "surprise" at Mexico withdrawal as championship hosts
Lausanne (AFP) - Mexico's decision to withdraw from hosting the 2017 world swimming championships was greeted with "surprise" by the sport's governing body, FINA, on Thursday.
Mexico announced on Wednesday it was pulling out of hosting the event scheduled for Guadalajara as part of a massive drive to cut public spending.
But FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu told AFP: "The Federation was surprised at Mexico's announcement, given that the investment in organising the championships is largely compensated by the economic and social benefits of holding the event."
He said FINA would report "shortly on the next stage in organising the 2017 world championships".
Mexico's public finances have been hit by a fall in the price of oil, on which it counts for export revenue, and it is hoped that cancelling 'Guadalajara 2017' would save the country around 85 million dollars (75 million euros).
Mexico has already spent 9.5 million dollars (8.4 million euros) on the event and will have to pay five million more to FINA.
A planned high-speed rail network, which would have been Latin America's first such transport system, has also been abandoned.
The 2015 championships, which are held every two years, are to be staged in Kazan, Russia, while the 2013 edition was in Barcelona, Spain.
