5 Nations Bid to Host 2009 Swimming Championships

Swimming's world governing body says five nations have submitted bids to host the sport's 2009 world championships.

The international swimming federation (FINA) said the cities of Athens, Rome, Moscow and Dubai have entered their bids. Japan also submitted a bid, but has not yet confirmed which city is its candidate to host the championships.

The host city will be selected at a meeting on July 16 before the 2005 world championships open in Montreal.

FINA stripped the championships from Montreal last month because of budget problems. But the event was returned to the Canadian city last week after the problems were resolved. The championships are scheduled to be held from July 17-31.

Some information for this story provided by AP and AFP.