Water quality was the topic of discussion during the first few days of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.in Sentosa Island in Singapore.

Twice delayed, the most prestigious races in the open water – the Olympic distance 10 km – did not present a good look for the sport of open water swimming on the world’s stage.

While the races were eventually held and the competition throughout (with the 3 km Knockout Sprints, 6 km Mixed Team Relays, 5 km and 10 km swims) was outstanding, the issue of measuring and maintaining suitable water quality was raised…once again.

So we thought…hmmm, with fewer resources than the IOC or World Aquatics, and if local government authorities could not provide us with real-time water quality testing, what would we do?

Bactiquick seems like a good solution.

Handheld units are revolutionizing water quality testing. Bactiquick offers rapid, simple-to-use bacterial contamination tests that can help safeguard swimmers in isolated situation or race directors on the fence whether or not to hold – or cancel – an event in questionable water.

The technology makes water testing safer, faster, and more accessible because there is no waiting for laboratory results, there is no need to cultivate pathogens, and no complicated setup.

Professor Simon Jackson at the University of Plymouth in Great Britain discovered the potential of endotoxin detection technology to quickly assess water quality and came up with a solution to test for sewage pollution, agricultural run-off, and antibiotic resistance.

For more information on Bactiquick, visit here.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.