30/07/2026
(String: <span id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" ><p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span>Hrochová and Kovář shine on the course, while Paltrinieri, Quadarella, Frigo, Lotti and Fabbri inspire from the stage: Livigno celebrates the culture of endurance.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Livigno, 29 luglio: </span>In just a few days, the </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">2026 European Aquatics Championships </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">will get underway in </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Paris, taking place from 31 July to 16 August </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">at the very same venues that, less than two years ago, hosted the remarkable Olympic performances of Italy's swimming team.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">While the medals will be decided in the French capital, a significant part of the journey leading to those podiums has already taken place in Livigno. Once again, the </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">AQ1816 Olympic Preparation Centre </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">has served as one of Europe's leading hubs for altitude training, welcoming many of the continent's top swimmers and reaffirming a reputation built over time and strengthened across multiple Olympic cycles.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">For years, the Italian National Swimming Team has chosen </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Livigno </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">as its altitude training base during the most important phases of the international season. A long-standing partnership that continues to grow stronger and has seen some of the world's greatest swimmers train at the AQ1816 Olympic Preparation Centre.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">This confidence is shared by numerous international federations. In the first half of 2026 alone, national teams from </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Hungary, France, Israel, Slovenia, Poland, and Sweden </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">held their altitude training camps in Livigno, further confirming the destination's status as one of the world's leading centres for elite high-altitude preparation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">In the lead-up to the European Championships in Paris, the final phase of training at AQ1816 played a key role in preparing several of Italy's top athletes. Among them, </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Gregorio Paltrinieri, Simona Quadarella, Ginevra Taddeucci, Manuel Frigo, and Carlos D'Ambrosio </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">completed an essential part of their build-up in Livigno before travelling to the French capital. </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">Italy heads to Paris with one of the strongest teams in the competition, ready to contend for medals in both pool eventsand open water swimming.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">During the </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Sport Talks </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">held over the </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Stralivigno </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">weekend, two of Italy's leading swimmers shared first-hand insights into this crucial stage of the season, offering audiences a valuable glimpse into the journey that prepares elite </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">athletes for the sport's biggest international competitions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">Looking ahead to the European Championships in Paris, </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Simona Quadarella </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">reflected on this stage of the Olympic cycle, midway between the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Los Angeles 2028: </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.015rem; text-align: var(--bs-body-text-align);">We're halfway through the new Olympic cycle, but it honestly feels like time has flown by. Four years may seem like a long time, but they go by so quickly—and in between there are so many major competitions. There's never a dull moment and never really a chance to let your guard down. This season, I decided to take a slightly more balanced approach, keeping myself engaged with other goals as well. I completed my degree and spent some time in Australia, an experience that helped me grow both personally and professionally. Now, with the European Championships just around the corner, the excitement to compete is back, and I can't wait for the challenges ahead."</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">The same long-term perspective was echoed by </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Gregorio Paltrinieri</span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">, who, during his conversation with the audience, highlighted the importance of consistency in training and the role that altitude plays in his preparation: </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.015rem; text-align: var(--bs-body-text-align);">After Paris 2024, I decided to keep swimming with the goal of making it to the next Olympic Games. We're now halfway through that journey, and every year matters, regardless of whether the main event is a European Championships or a World Championships. Every race and every season is important because it gives you a real measure of where you are and what you need to improve in order to perform even better at the next major competition.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">In open water swimming, around 90% of the world's top athletes are European, so the level at the European Championships will be incredibly high. Our training group is probably one of the strongest in the world, and that's a huge source of motivation for me because it pushes me every single day.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">I first came to Livigno in 2015, so by now I'm a regular when it comes to altitude training. It's fundamental to my preparation: it allows us to train with workloads very similar to those we have at home, while benefiting from the physiological advantages of altitude. When we return to lower elevations, that translates into better performance and, just as importantly, a better overall feeling in the water."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">As Paris prepares to welcome Europe's finest swimmers, Livigno continues to play a vital role behind the scenes, helping elite athletes build the performances that lead to success on the international stage.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">Day after day, season after season, Livigno has developed a high-performance ecosystem dedicated to elite preparation. Today, the AQ1816 Olympic Preparation Centre stands as one of Europe's leading altitude training destinations—a benchmark for high-performance sport and a facility widely recognised by the international swimming community as one of its premier training bases.</span></p>
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Hrochová and Kovář shine on the course, while Paltrinieri, Quadarella, Frigo, Lotti and Fabbri inspire from the stage: Livigno celebrates the culture of endurance.
Livigno, 29 luglio: In just a few days, the 2026 European Aquatics Championships will get underway in Paris, taking place from 31 July to 16 August at the very same venues that, less than two years ago, hosted the remarkable Olympic performances of Italy's swimming team.
While the medals will be decided in the French capital, a significant part of the journey leading to those podiums has already taken place in Livigno. Once again, the AQ1816 Olympic Preparation Centre has served as one of Europe's leading hubs for altitude training, welcoming many of the continent's top swimmers and reaffirming a reputation built over time and strengthened across multiple Olympic cycles.
For years, the Italian National Swimming Team has chosen Livigno as its altitude training base during the most important phases of the international season. A long-standing partnership that continues to grow stronger and has seen some of the world's greatest swimmers train at the AQ1816 Olympic Preparation Centre.
This confidence is shared by numerous international federations. In the first half of 2026 alone, national teams from Hungary, France, Israel, Slovenia, Poland, and Sweden held their altitude training camps in Livigno, further confirming the destination's status as one of the world's leading centres for elite high-altitude preparation.
In the lead-up to the European Championships in Paris, the final phase of training at AQ1816 played a key role in preparing several of Italy's top athletes. Among them, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Simona Quadarella, Ginevra Taddeucci, Manuel Frigo, and Carlos D'Ambrosio completed an essential part of their build-up in Livigno before travelling to the French capital. Italy heads to Paris with one of the strongest teams in the competition, ready to contend for medals in both pool eventsand open water swimming.
During the Sport Talks held over the Stralivigno weekend, two of Italy's leading swimmers shared first-hand insights into this crucial stage of the season, offering audiences a valuable glimpse into the journey that prepares elite athletes for the sport's biggest international competitions.
Looking ahead to the European Championships in Paris, Simona Quadarella reflected on this stage of the Olympic cycle, midway between the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Los Angeles 2028: We're halfway through the new Olympic cycle, but it honestly feels like time has flown by. Four years may seem like a long time, but they go by so quickly—and in between there are so many major competitions. There's never a dull moment and never really a chance to let your guard down. This season, I decided to take a slightly more balanced approach, keeping myself engaged with other goals as well. I completed my degree and spent some time in Australia, an experience that helped me grow both personally and professionally. Now, with the European Championships just around the corner, the excitement to compete is back, and I can't wait for the challenges ahead."
The same long-term perspective was echoed by Gregorio Paltrinieri, who, during his conversation with the audience, highlighted the importance of consistency in training and the role that altitude plays in his preparation: After Paris 2024, I decided to keep swimming with the goal of making it to the next Olympic Games. We're now halfway through that journey, and every year matters, regardless of whether the main event is a European Championships or a World Championships. Every race and every season is important because it gives you a real measure of where you are and what you need to improve in order to perform even better at the next major competition.
In open water swimming, around 90% of the world's top athletes are European, so the level at the European Championships will be incredibly high. Our training group is probably one of the strongest in the world, and that's a huge source of motivation for me because it pushes me every single day.
I first came to Livigno in 2015, so by now I'm a regular when it comes to altitude training. It's fundamental to my preparation: it allows us to train with workloads very similar to those we have at home, while benefiting from the physiological advantages of altitude. When we return to lower elevations, that translates into better performance and, just as importantly, a better overall feeling in the water."
As Paris prepares to welcome Europe's finest swimmers, Livigno continues to play a vital role behind the scenes, helping elite athletes build the performances that lead to success on the international stage.
Day after day, season after season, Livigno has developed a high-performance ecosystem dedicated to elite preparation. Today, the AQ1816 Olympic Preparation Centre stands as one of Europe's leading altitude training destinations—a benchmark for high-performance sport and a facility widely recognised by the international swimming community as one of its premier training bases.