2009 World Aquatics Championships

The 2009 World Aquatics Championships, officially known as the XIII FINA World Championships, were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. This marked the second time Rome hosted the event after previously doing so in 1994. The championships featured competition in five aquatics disciplines: diving, swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming, and water polo.

Rome won the right to host the event on 16 July 2005 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, defeating bids from Athens (Greece), Moscow (Russia), and Yokohama (Japan). A record-breaking 2556 athletes from 185 countries participated in the event. Notably, FINA's decision to allow polyurethane swimsuits led to these Championships being referred to as the "Plastic Games," as the suits were believed to provide a competitive edge.

The swimsuit controversy was highlighted by German swimmer Paul Biedermann's exceptional performances, including breaking Ian Thorpe's 400m world record and defeating Michael Phelps in the 200m freestyle. Biedermann’s use of the Arena X-Glide swimsuit was widely discussed, with his coach noting the suit's significant impact on his performance.

The event saw a record number of world records broken, attributed to the advanced technology of the swimsuits.