DPR Media Contacts: 

Brian Armstead, (202) 746-2092, [email protected]


(Washington, DC) – A research study commissioned by USA Swimming and leading swimwear company Speedo USA recently ranked Washington, DC as ninth among the 50 Top Swim Cities in the United States.

To earn the “Top Swim City” designation, cities must have an impressive number of top-level swimmers, swim clubs, active swimmers and accessible pools.

“Being named one of the Top Swim Cities in the nation is a great accomplishment that underscores the District’s significant investments in pool quality and access to facilities,” said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. “I am thankful to USA Swimming and Speedo USA for recognizing the District’s unique nature when it comes to opportunities for swimming and healthy living.”

“DPR is proud to offer swimming lessons to all age groups in Washington, DC. With minority groups often lacking swimming skills, our aquatics programs build confidence and teach sportsmanship,” said DPR Director Keith A. Anderson.  “The net result of the success of our programs can be seen in the progress of local swim clubs, like the DC Wave Swim Team, and through showcase swim meets, such as the annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet.”

Washington, DC offers over 40 aquatic features and is home to 15,000 USA Swimming members, the fourth-highest number in the country.

“Communities like the Washington, DC area showcase what’s great about the sport of swimming, from strong community involvement to accessibility and Olympic champions,” said Matt Farrell, Chief Marketing Officer for USA Swimming. “We want to invite people of all ages across the country to join the sport of swimming, and we hope this list inspires more kids and families to get involved.”

The ranking index was developed through a comparison of each city’s swim-related attributes relative to the overall U.S. population. Key elements included the number of current USA Swimming members, number of U.S. Masters (adult) swimmers and number of USA Swimming clubs. The study also looked at the number of qualifying swimmers for high-level competitions like the Speedo Sectionals, Speedo Junior Nationals, Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships, Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games, as well as Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) participation data, including the numbers of competitive and fitness swimmers, and the number of swim facilities open to the public in each city. USA Swimming National Team members were assigned to their hometown club, if different than their current association. This is a change from the 2014 rankings when athletes counted toward their active club.

The complete list of the 50 Top Swim Cities can be found at: http://www.usaswimming.org/50TopSwimCities

For a full schedule of DPR Aquatics activities, visit http://dpr.dc.gov/service/aquatics-division

About USA Swimming

As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org

About Speedo

Speedo is the world’s leading swimwear brand. The teams at Speedo USA are passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations, and supporting swimming from the grassroots to the elite level. In the 1920’s, Speedo made history with the Racerback, the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008, Speedo redefined swimwear again with Fastskin LZR RACER, one of the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuits ever created; 2011 saw Speedo unveil another world first with the Fastskin Racing System - a cap, goggle and suit designed to work together as one.  Speedo is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V. and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; in North America and the Caribbean, Speedo is licensed exclusively to Warnaco Swimwear Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp. To find out more, visit http://www.speedousa.com

About DPR

The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides quality urban recreation and leisure services for residents and visitors to the District of Columbia. DPR currently operates 94 playgrounds, 73 recreation centers, almost 1,000 acres of park land, over 40 aquatic features, 375 parks, over 200 play courts (basketball and tennis), and more than 100 athletic fields. DPR owns and operates the programming function of many park spaces,  outdoor facilities, aquatic facilities, bikeways/trails, environmental and natural lands and recreation centers. The agency also coordinates a wide variety of recreation and educational programs including sports leagues, youth development, therapeutic recreation, aquatic programming, outdoor adventure, camping, and senior citizen activities. Adaptive programs and facilities are available for persons with disabilities.