Olympian Kyle Lee to compete in his local patch with Bunbury to host 2026 Australian Open Water Championships

South West Olympian Kyle Lee has been given another chance to compete in his home region, with Bunbury set to host the 2026 edition of the Australian Open Water Championships. After the 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions of the event were staged in Busselton, Swimming Australia announced on Tuesday it would shift up the coast to Koombana Bay from January 22-25 next year. The championships are expected to attract swimmers from both around the country and across the globe, with the top eight finishers in the men’s and women’s 10km event to split a $50,000 prize pool. Lee, who was raised in Australind, has had an action-packed 12 months which have included making his Olympic debut in Paris, winning three gold medals at the 2025 Australian Open Water Championships and securing his first World Championships bronze medal in Singapore in July. The Bunbury Swimming Club junior said he was “so excited” to have the chance to compete in front of a home crowd and “share one of my favourite places in the world with the open water community.” “We travel around the world to compete in various events and to have a national championships in my backyard for the first time is really special,” Lee said. “The water is so clean, and yes you are pretty much guaranteed to see a dolphin there … and I don’t mean us Aussie swimmers.” Swimming WA chief executive Rob Woodhouse said the event had gone from strength to strength in recent years. “The picturesque location and ocean swimming culture in WA creates an experience for the swimmers unlike any in Australia, to have our best ocean swimmers and weekend warriors experiencing quality racing is a January must,” he said. Swimming WA chief executive Emily Randall said Koombana Bay would be an “incredible” location for the event. “It’s the perfect place for the swimmers to race and for our community to get right behind them,” she said. “A round of our OWS Series has taken place in Bunbury most open water seasons since 2016 and we have a very passionate local open water swimming community who I’m sure will be just as excited as we are to see this news.” Bunbury mayor Jaysen Miguel said the city was proud to host the championships. “Events like this bring incredible energy to our community, boost our local economy, and showcase Bunbury’s natural beauty such as Koombana Bay to visitors from across Australia and beyond,” he said. “We’re thrilled to welcome elite athletes and everyday swimmers alike, and we look forward to seeing Bunbury shine on the national stage once again.” Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said the event would showcase the State’s “world-class coastline to the rest of the nation”.