CMAS — World Underwater Federation

What is CMAS?

CMAS — the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques — is the international federation for underwater sports, among them finswimming. Article 1.1 of its Statutes, adopted on 9 May 2025, gives its name as the “World Underwater Federation (hereinafter referred to as ‘CMAS’)”, and Article 1.2 describes it as an “international, non-governmental, non-profit-making organisation”.^[2] Its about page calls it “a strictly civil non-profit making organisation”.^[1]

The Statutes set out its first purposes as to “direct, develop and regulate underwater activities and underwater sports, in all their forms, worldwide” and to “develop and encourage understanding and preservation of the underwater world” (Article 1.5).^[2]

Its work is divided among three permanent committees established by Article 9.1 of the Statutes: the Technical Committee, the Sport Committee and the “Scientific and Sustainability Committee”.^[2] The federation describes itself as being “at the forefront of technical and scientific research and development” in addition to organising international underwater sport events.^[1] Its president since 2013 has been Anna Arzhanova.^[11]

What does CMAS govern or do?

Sports. CMAS lists twelve sports on its about page: aquathlon, finswimming, freediving, mermaiding, orienteering, parasport, spearfishing, sport diving, target shooting, underwater hockey, underwater rugby and visual.^[1] ARISF’s profile of the federation names a shorter set: “Freediving, Finswimming, Spearfishing, Underwater Hockey, UW Rugby, UW Orienteering, UW Target Shooting and Sport Diving”.^[3] Each sport has its own section on the federation’s site.^[12]

Diving. Beyond competition, the federation’s site publishes diver training standards under its diving programmes and gives the Scientific Committee its own section; the Statutes establish the Technical and the Scientific and Sustainability committees as permanent bodies beside the Sport Committee.^[12][2]

Anti-doping. Article 1.6(b) of the Statutes commits the federation to “Compliance with the Olympic Charter and with the principles, guidelines and rules established by the IOC, WADA and other national and international sports authorities”.^[2] Its current rules are the CMAS Anti-Doping Rules 2026, published on its clean-sport page, which has a section on its collaboration with the International Testing Agency and points athletes to REVEAL, a reporting platform it describes as “managed independently by the International Testing Agency (ITA)”.^[7] See anti-doping.

Records. The federation publishes finswimming results and records by championship; see records and ratification.^[8]

When was CMAS founded and where is it based?

Founding. The federation’s about page states that “on January 9, 10 and 11, 1959, the World Underwater Federation (CMAS) was created by the unanimous vote of delegates from 15 countries”, at a constitutive assembly in Monaco, where Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau was elected president.^[1] ARISF independently gives 1959 as the founding year.^[3] The place, the dates in January and the first president rest on the federation’s own account; the 2025 Statutes do not recite the founding.^[2]

Name. The French name, Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques, supplies the acronym; the Statutes use the English name, World Underwater Federation, with CMAS as its short form.^[2] WADA lists the body as “World Underwater Federation (CMAS)”.^[5]

Seat. Article 1.3 of the Statutes states that “The registered office of the CMAS is in Rome, Italy, at Viale Tiziano n. 74”, and that only the General Assembly may transfer it to another country; Article 13.14 provides that “Where no applicable law is chosen, Italian law shall apply.”^[2] The about page gives the same address, Viale Tiziano 74, 00196 Rome.^[1]

Current Statutes. The edition in force was adopted on 9 May 2025.^[2]

How is CMAS recognised?

IOC. CMAS states that it gained recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 1986.^[1] No independent source for that year, or for whether it was provisional or full recognition, could be retrieved. The IOC’s recognition is shown independently by ARISF membership: CMAS appears as “Underwater – CMAS World Underwater Federation” on the members list of ARISF, the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.^[4] See international federation.

WADA. WADA’s list of Code signatories includes “World Underwater Federation (CMAS)” among the international federations that are ARISF members.^[5]

IWGA and The World Games. The International World Games Association lists underwater sports with the description “Founding Member, IWGA Member Federation since 1982”, and records finswimming on the programme of The World Games since the first edition at Santa Clara in 1981.^[6] Freediving made its first appearance at Chengdu 2025.^[6] See IWGA.

Para events. CMAS runs para events in its own calendar, including a 2026 world championship in para freediving and para finswimming, scheduled from 25 November 2026.^[9]

What does CMAS organise?

Finswimming World Championships. The federation’s results archive lists the “2024, 23RD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINSWIMMING INDOOR” in Belgrade, Serbia, and the 2026 CMAS World Championship FSW Indoor in Incheon, Republic of Korea.^[8] The 2026 CMAS World Championship Finswimming Open Water is scheduled for 30 October to 4 November 2026 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.^[9][10] See Finswimming World Championships.

Other world championships. The CMAS calendar lists, among others, the 2026 world championship in para freediving and para finswimming (from 25 November 2026), the 2027 CMAS World Championships in underwater hockey (from 14 April 2027), the 2027 Underwater Rugby World Championships (from 15 May 2027) and the 2027 CMAS World Championship Spearfishing (from 4 November 2027).^[9]

World cups. A 2026 CMAS World Cup Finswimming Indoor is scheduled for 2–4 October 2026 in Coral Springs, Florida.^[10]

The World Games. At Chengdu 2025 the underwater sports programme comprised finswimming in apnoea, bi-fins and surface distances, freediving in dynamic apnoea with and without fins, and freediving for athletes with impairment.^[6]

Who are its members?

National federations. ARISF’s profile gives CMAS 156 member national federations and five continental bodies.^[3] The federation’s own about page gives more than 100 members, grown from its founding membership in 1959.^[1] The two figures are reported as each source gives them.

Admission rule. Article 2.3 of the Statutes provides that “Only one federation shall be admitted per country”, although the Board of Directors may grant “a provisional exemption from this rule for a period not exceeding two (2) years”.^[2]

Regions. The federation’s site lists its national federations by continent, and links a community map.^[12] ARISF counts five continental bodies.^[3]

Governance. The member federations meet in the General Assembly; the federation publishes its Statutes, Internal Rules, Disciplinary Code 2025, Code of Ethics and Financial Rules, and the General Assembly minutes for 2022, 2023 and 2024.^[13]