The Open Water Swimming events at the 8th FINA World Aquatics Championships were swum in the ocean off Perth, Western Australia on January 6 and 11, 1998.
The discipline featured 4 events: a 5-kilometer race, or "5K", for males and females, and a 25-kilometer race (25K) for males and females.
It was the first time the 5K was raced a World Championships.
[1] The races featured 80 swimmers from 26 nations.
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