On 16 May 2026, the aquatic world gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the 61st Annual Induction Ceremony of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). Established in 1965, ISHOF is the world’s leading institution dedicated to honouring excellence in aquatic sport, recognising outstanding athletes, coaches, contributors and other figures across swimming, diving, open water, water polo, artistic swimming, Paralympic sport and masters swimming. This year’s class of eleven honorees from seven countries was among the most international in the ceremony’s history.
Five of those inductees represented European nations, with coach Jane Figueiredo, whose career has strong ties to European diving, also among the class.
Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh and the Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo were both inducted as Honor Swimmers. Cseh, a five-time Olympian and six-time Olympic medalist, competed across a wide range of strokes and events at the highest level level, finishing his career with 74 international medals – including 33 European titles.
Kromowidjojo’s record is similarly extensive. She won Olympic gold in the 4×100m freestyle relay in Beijing in 2008, then took the 50m and 100m freestyle titles at London 2012. Across her career in international and World Cup competition, she accumulated 89 medals at major international championships.
Italy’s Tania Cagnotto was inducted as an Honor Diver. She competed at five Olympic Games, eight World Championships and eight World Cups, winning silver and bronze in the springboard events at Rio 2016. In synchronised springboard, she and partner Francesca Dallape won eight European gold medals together.
Fellow Dutch athlete Ferry Weertman was inducted as an Honor Open Water Swimmer. He won the 10km open water event at the Rio 2016 Olympics before adding the World Championship title in Budapest in 2017, becoming the first man to hold both the Olympic and World titles in open water swimming at the same time. He was also named FINA Open Water Swimmer of the Year in 2016 and 2018.
France’s Beatrice Hess was inducted as an Honor Paralympian. Competing in the S5 classification, she won 25 Paralympic medals in total, 20 of them gold, across five Games, alongside seven World titles and 18 European titles, making her France’s most decorated Paralympic swimmer. She made her debut at the New York 1984 Games, winning four gold medals, and was flagbearer for France at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
Coach Jane Figueiredo, though Zimbabwean by nationality, was also among the inductees. She received the 2024 IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, selected from more than 110 candidatures nominated by Olympians, International Federations and National Olympic Committees. Her divers have won more than 15 World Championship medals, and she has been named World Aquatics Diving Coach of the Year as well as five-time NCAA Women’s Coach of the Year. A significant portion of her coaching career has been based in Europe, and she has worked extensively with European athletes throughout, including Olympic champion Tom Daley.
The full Class of 2026 were be formally welcomed into the Hall of Fame at ISHOF’s facility in Fort Lauderdale.
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Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
