The Albanian Swimming Federation ( sq, Federata Shqiptare e Notit (FSHN)) is the national governing body of aquatic sports in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, ranging from

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

, synchronized swimming,

open water swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam s ...

, and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

. The federation is tasked with the development, promotion and international representation of

. It is a member of the

Albanian National Olympic Committee The Albanian National Olympic Committee ''( Albanian: Komiteti Olimpik Kombëtar Shqiptar - KOKSH)'' is a non-profit organisation and the legal authority of Albania's participation in the Olympic Games. As a member of the International Olympic C ...

. The Albanian swimming federation is a member of the European Swimming League (LEN) and the

International Swimming Federation FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

(FINA). The Albanian Swimming Federation organizes aquatic sports competitions at national, European and international level in all categories for men and women; junior and adult age groups. The Albanian Swimming Federation works closely with its collaborative associate, the Kosovo swimming federation.

History

Swimming in Albania has its roots in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

, where races began centuries ago. The swimming federation was formed in the late 1950s. Albanians more prominent in the sport included Jani Hondro and Spiro Koço. The first person to represent Albania in the Olympics was an American born Albanian, Frank Leskaj. Leskaj represented Albania in the 1992 Summer Olympics in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. It was not until the late 2000s where swimming began to flourish in Albania. It wasn't until 2004 that Albania would be represented again in the summer Olympics by Kreshnik Gjata. Four years later, a young swimmer at the age of 16 years represented Albania again in the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. The swimmers name was Sidni Hoxha and he became a record holder for Albania that year. Till date, Hoxha, is Albania's most successful swimmer. Hoxha has participated in two Olympics, holding more than 50% of the national records, countless European and world championships, two time NCAA swimming competitor, and former Balkan Champion. Hoxha is acclaimed and determined to represent Albania two more times in the Olympics, for a total of four times. Also, in 2008, Albania's first female swimmer was Rovena Marku. Marku, also broke the national record for 50m freestyle that year in Beijing. In 2012, Sidni Hoxha and Noel Borshi represented Albania in the summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Member clubs

there are more than a dozen member clubs. * Tirana Delfina Sport,

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

* Klubi Sport Not,

* Nobis Klub Not,

* Akademia e Notit Stela,

* Tornado,

* Teuta, Durres * Vllaznia Klub Noti, Shkoder * Vlore * Butrinti, Saranda * Pogradec

Results

has participated in three Mediterranean Games, three LCM European Championships, four LCM World Championships, and four Summer Olympics.

References

{{Navboxes , list = {{National Members of FINA {{Albania topics

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

Olympic swimmers of Albania

History

Member clubs

Results

See also

References