2026 IISA NZ & Oceania Pool Championships in Alexandra, Central Otago
Ready to take on the ice?
Entries for the 2026 IISA NZ & Oceania pool-based ice swimming championships are now closed.
Hosted at the Alexandra Pool Complex in Central Otago, this four-day event is your opportunity to challenge yourself in the ice, with a range of distances and strokes.
Venue: Alexandra Pool Complex. Molyneux Park off Centennial Avenue, Alexandra
Dates: Wednesday 15th to Saturday 18th of July 2026
Ice Swimming is swimming in water temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees F), unassisted with a silicone cap, pair of goggles, and standard swimming suit. Wetsuits and other swimming aids are not permitted.
Don’t forget to familiarise yourself with the race rules and compulsory gear.
2026 IISA NZ & Oceania Championships
How to enter
Wednesday 15th July
1-4 pm: Registration at the Alexandra Pool Complex.
Please Bring:
- Your IISA Event Passport;
- Current Medical & ECG per IISA Forms;
- IISA Global Membership verification;
- Proof of payment.
Late registration can be arranged by contacting the organisers.
3-4 pm: Practice swim. Participants can swim up to 100m. Our Safety Team will be on duty. No swimming outside of this time slot.
Race days – Thursday/Friday/Saturday:
8.30am: Prompt start of each days swimming. As a guide all swimmers, regardless of the timing of their swim, should be present for the day’s briefing.
10:15 am (approx): Tea break (30min)
12:15 pm (approx): Lunch break (1hr)
2:30 pm: Final session finishes.
A timetable of each day’s scheduled events is subject to change and will not be released until closer to the event.
Saturday 18th July
6pm: Prizegiving and awards dinner
You will need to enter via the International Ice Swimming Association’s website.
IISA is the governing body for ice swimming around the world. You will need to be a Global IISA member and set up a profile before being able to enter swims. This is easy to do and costs €26 (around $54 NZ).
Once you have a Global IISA membership, log into your account and navigate to the Events –> Events Calendar to find and enter the NZ & Oceania Pool Championships.
UPDATE: new events added! 200m backstroke and 200m breaststroke are now available. We are the first in the world to be able to offer this event, so if you swim well, you have the opportunity to become a world record holder in your age group! This event is listed separately on the IISA website, but will be held during the July championships alongside the other events. Enter here -> 200m Breast & Back NZ Oceania Championships.
Please familiarise yourself with IISA swimming rules and enter on the IISA website.
To finalise your entry, please make payment to:
THE INTERNATIONAL ICE SWIMMING ASSOCIATION AOTEAROA NZ INC
12-3618-0054063-00
For non-NZ accounts, ASB SWIFT Code/BIC is ASBBNZ2A
ASB address PO Box 35, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140
Please note, due to the high costs involved in running this event safely, we are unable to provide refunds.
If you want to discuss a payment plan, contact us.
Choose your events
| Choose your race! | 50m | 100m | 200m | 250m | 500m | 1000m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | $60 | $70 | X | $90 | $120 | $175 |
| Backstroke | $60 | $70 | $90 | X | X | X |
| Breaststroke | $60 | $70 | $90 | X | X | X |
| Butterfly | $60 | $70 | X | X | X | X |
| Indvidual Medley | X | $70 | $90 | X | X | X |
| Team Relay (4x50m mixed freestyle) | $48 pp |
Entry requirements
All swimmers must complete an IISA medical (to be filled out by your GP) and an ECG. The medical form must be completed and emailed to [email protected] by 1 July 2026. Access the form here.
Age groups
Age Group is your age as at the 31st December 2026.
Age Groups are in 5yr brackets, eg 40-44 and 45-49.
Age limits as at the day of the swim 50-250m 14+ years; 500m 16+ years; 1000m.
18+years Parental Consent is required for anyone under 18 yrs
Qualification criteria in the IISA Rules
To swim the 1000m, you must have done a qualifying 500m in the previous 2 years. It can be at this year’s Champs.
Cut off times:
100m : 5 min 250m : 8min 500m : 15min 1000m : 30min
Different times may apply to swimmers with disabilities.
Any swimmer who is stopped by the referee and refuses to leave the water will be disqualified and not permitted to swim in any other events.
If anyone who wishes to compete has a disability or serious medical condition, please email [email protected] so this can be discussed with the medical officer.
IISA NZ will make reasonable adjustment providing it does not compromise the safety of the overall event or any individual competitor.
Further, more detailed information will be sent to competitors prior to the event.
We look forward to seeing some of you in Alexandra If you have any queries feel free to contact us at [email protected].
