Oceanman brings global swim race to Maldives

Oceanman, the world's leading open water swimming franchise, is coming to the Maldives through a new partnership with Swim Maldives. 

The Oceanman race, scheduled to be held in K. Maafushi in April 2026, will be the biggest open water swimming event held in the Maldives to date. Registration for the event started in October, with a large number of both local and foreign swimmers having already signed up. Interested swimmers can still sign up for the event.

Swim Maldives stated that Oceanman Maldives will adhere to the standard format of all Oceanman races, maintaining the same high international benchmarks for safety and execution of the race. 

Oceanman Maldives will have the following categories:

- OCEANMAN 10KM

- HALF OCEANMAN 5KM

- Sprint 2KM

- OceanFins 2KM

- OCEANKIDS

- OCEANTEAMS

Oceanman Maldives age groups are:

- OCEANKIDS, U9, U11, U13, U15

- Junior (15 - 19)

- Master (20 - 29)

- Master (30 -39)

- Master (40 - 49)

- Master (50 - 59)

- Master (60 - 69)

- Master (70+)

According to Swim Maldives, overall top 3, as well as top 3 participants from each age group, will be awarded medals and trophies. The top 10 from each age group wins a qualification for Oceanman World Championships, a qualification-only competition held annually. 

Oceanman Maldives has received official endorsement from Visit Maldives, which highlighted the event's alignment with their 2026 theme: Ocean Nation. The competition is also registered with the Commissioner of Sports in accordance with the Maldives Sports Act. 

Oceanman Global was launched ten years ago. This is the first open water swimming franchise in the world. Each year, 38 Oceanman events are held in 26 countries, with each race seeing over 1500 participants. 

Oceanman Headquarters expressed strong confidence in the Maldives as a host, citing its strategic location, vibrant sports community, and appeal to open water swimmers. Welcoming collaboration with Maldivian authorities, they highlighted a shared vision for promoting sports tourism.