A group of the top swimmers from the 2026 Swimming World Cup got the opportunity to participate in a hockey session with local pro team Barys Astana.
The club competes in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League and have won two Kazakhstan hockey championships since their founding in 1999.
Participating swimmers included Cam McEvoy, Marrit Steenbergen, Caspar Corbeau, Shaine Casas, Roos Van0tterdijk, and Qin Haiyang, as well as meet commentator John Mason.
Speaking to a local reporter, McEvoy talked about the experience.
“I (skated) once when I was 10 years old in Australia but as you can imagine there’s not much ice, not much snow in Australia so it’s very very foreign to me. Ice skates…it’s very different but I wanted to give myself a challenge.
“I miserably failed the challenge hence why I’m sitting here watching, but it was really fun and it gave me a huge amount of respect for ice hockey players and anyone who does anything on ice…I’m a big fan of the city already. I think the tournament will be a lot of fun.
“I’m excited to see and meet the swimming community here in Astana.”
McEvoy, who uses bouldering as a big part of his training regimen, cross-trains more than most swimmers to help develop strength and power. Hockey players are famous for the amount of power they are able to generate on the ice.
World Aquatics offers a number of these cultural and sporting enrichment opportunities at World Cup meets as part of efforts to create cultural exchange, especially in host countries that aren’t traditionally aquatics powerhouses. In Baku, that included a go-karting experience. The meet in Baku came a week after an F1 race in the same city.
At meet #2 in Tashkent, that included a breadmaking class and exploration of Uzbek cuisine.
Sights and Sounds of the immersive hockey experience
