Vancouver, Canada Announced As Host Of 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam

The 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships will head to Canada in 2026, as Vancouver was recently announced as the host. The competition will be staged at the University of British Columbia Aquatic Centre from August 17-20, 2026, Swimming Canada announced Tuesday.

The Junior Pan Pacs are contested every two years and bring together the top juniors from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Invites are also sent to additional non-European countries, with Singapore, New Zealand, and China among the other attendees in the past. The last edition of the Junior Pan Pacs, held in August of 2022 in Honolulu, marked the first version of the competition in four years, with the 2020 meet canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 edition is set to take place in Canberra, Australia from August 21st through the 24th.

2026 will mark the first time that Canada has ever held these junior championships. Canada has hosted the senior-level Pan Pacs twice in its 39-year history, with the last time being the 2006 meet in Victoria.

Canada was originally slated to host the 2022 Senior Pan Pacs, and after its cancellation, the 2026 edition. However, in October of 2023, it was announced that Southern California would handle those duties instead.

On Tuesday, Swimming Canada’s Associate High Performance Director Iain McDonald stated the following in a press release:

“This is the first time that Canada will host this event or any high-level international junior pool competition. It’s an excellent opportunity for the best young swimmers in Canada to race at home in one of the premier junior swimming events in the world.”

“The Pan Pacific Charter Nations have expressed their excitement at hosting this event in a world class city like Vancouver. In addition, with the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships scheduled the week prior in California, each nation will have their current and future international swimmers all racing on the west coast of North America two years ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.”

Acting Associate Director of Sport Development, Jocelyn Jay, also had some positive remarks about the announcement:

“The Pan Pacific Charter Nations have expressed their excitement at hosting this event in a world class city like Vancouver,” McDonald said. “In addition, with the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships scheduled the week prior in California, each nation will have their current and future international swimmers all racing on the west coast of North America two years ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.”

British Columbia’s Swimming Executive Director, Ken Radford, stated: “Swim BC is thrilled to support Swimming Canada in the hosting of the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and Speedo Canadian Short Course Championships. We’re excited to showcase one of the premium world-class junior events in B.C. and provide an opportunity for our swimming community to witness firsthand this level of swimming. We’re proud of the commitment from VPSC and the UBC Aquatic Centre have made to support these competitions. Without their volunteerism and can-do attitude we’d not be able to benefit from these opportunities.”

SwimSwam: Vancouver, Canada Announced As Host Of 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships