Event Logistics
Sponsorship by the STM, Montreal's public transit commission, allowed competitors to take public transit for free. This allowed competitors to enjoy the lively city of festivals. The recommended way to reach the event site was by Montreal Metro. Coincident with the championships were the Montreal Fireworks Festival (visible from the event site), Just for Laughs comedy festival, and Fantasia Festival of genre film.
The event featured new outdoor diving and long-course (50m) swimming pools, to the delight of many, instead of indoor pools, on Saint Helen's Island. The open water swimming events took place in the Olympic rowing basin, legacy of Montreal's 1976 Summer Olympics, on the neighbouring Île Notre-Dame. Both islands are part of Parc Jean Drapeau.
The opening ceremony was created by the Cirque du Soleil, whose home base is Montreal, and was a water show.
In the end, a total of 160,000 spectators attended, short of the 200,000 projected to break even on the event. This resulted in a $4,000,000 loss, about $1.10 per resident of Montreal.
Read more about this topic: 2005 World Aquatics Championships Bids
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