The University of the Free State, in partnership with KovsieSport, is proud to host the 2026 USSA Swimming Championships on the Bloemfontein Campus from 23 to 26 April 2026. The competition will take place at the UFS Outdoor Swimming Pool, where some of the country’s top student-athletes will compete for national honours.

Eight universities from across South Africa will travel to Bloemfontein to participate in this prestigious event. Competing institutions include North-West University, University of Cape Town, Emeris, University of Pretoria, Nelson Mandela University, University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, and University of KwaZulu-Natal.

The action officially gets underway on Friday, 24 April, with swimmers diving in for an exciting programme of events:

Competition Schedule

Friday, 24 April 2026
Session 1: 09:30
Session 2: 17:00

Saturday, 25 April 2026
Session 3: 09:00
Session 4: 15:30

Spectators can look forward to high-level competition featuring some of the country’s standout student swimmers. Among the athletes to watch are Cameron Casali, Stephanie Houtman, and Righardt Muller representing Emeris, as well as Kaitlynne Horne from Nelson Mandela University (Madibaz).

Strong performances are also expected from the TuksSwimming Club squad, featuring swimmers such as Christian Esterhuysen, Joshua Esterhuysen, Henre Louw, Tumelo Mahan, Leigh McMorran, Anie van As, Catherine van Rensburg, and Corne van Schalkwyk. The host institution will also be represented by Anieke Helmand.

The championships promise an exciting showcase of talent, sportsmanship, and university pride, as South Africa’s top student swimmers compete in the heart of the Free State.

#ProudlyKovsies #USSAstudent