The event, awarded by European Swimming League (LEN), will be staged at Aberdeen Sports Village’s Aquatics Centre, which opened in 2014 and boasts a 50 metres, 10-lane competition pool with seating for 500 spectators.

It also houses a 25m, six-lane pool with full floating floor and full Olympic standard diving facilities, including springboards and platforms up to 10m with seating for 130 people.

It marks the first time that the continent’s best young swimmers and divers will gather in Aberdeen.

"We are excited to welcome the LEN European Junior Championships to the UK," said British Swimming chief executive David Sparkes.

"This event will no doubt be the biggest competition athletes of that age group will have competed at.

"Aberdeen Sports Village will provide everything the athletes could need and I know we will see some excellent performances throughout the competition."

Jan Griffiths, acting chief executive of Aberdeen Sports Village, added: "Aberdeen Sports Village is absolutely thrilled to have been awarded the hosting of the 2020 Championships.

"We are very much looking forward to working with our partners to deliver a world class event, and welcoming Europe's top junior swimmers and divers to the city."

The LEN European Junior Championships adds to a lengthy list of international swimming and diving events hosted in Scotland, including the third leg of the 2013 International Swimming Federation (FINA) Diving World Series, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and this year's International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Glasgow.

The country will also stage the 2018 LEN European Aquatics Championships in Glasgow.

"We are delighted to be hosting the European Junior Championships 2020 in Aberdeen," said Paul Bush, VisitScotland's director of events.

"We look forward to welcoming the swimming stars of the future to compete in Scotland, the perfect stage for events such as this."

Aberdeen Sports Village first opened to the public in August 2009 and is partnership between the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Council and sportscotland.

University of Aberdeen principal Professor Sir Ian Diamond welcomed the announcement.

"I am absolutely delighted that Aberdeen Sports Village has been selected to host the 2020 European Junior Swimming and Diving Championships," he said.

"We are very proud to be a partner in this huge success story for Aberdeen and north-east Scotland.

"This decision is testament to the international standard of Aberdeen Sports Village and in particular the Aquatics Centre, which was deliberately designed to attract international competition at this level, in addition to proving very popular with our students and the wider community.

"We look forward to working with our partners at Aberdeen Sports Village and Aberdeen City Council as we prepare to welcome competitors from across Europe to Aberdeen in 2020."

This year's LEN European Junior Championships featured as part of the Baku 2015 European Games aquatics programme, while next year's are scheduled to take place in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary.


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