The championship is under the auspices of The Royal Lifesaving Society which has Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as patron.
On behalf of the royal life saving society, I declare these Championships officially open.
A total of 10 nations attended the event, including: Australia, Canada, England, Hong Kong, South Africa, Wales, Mauritius, Uganda, Jersey and Scotland.
Prince Michael of Kent met all competitors at a reception meeting during the opening ceremony at the Eastbourne Hotel.
Amongst the competitors were teams from Hong Kong, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Guernsey, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Sri Lanka and Lesotho.
It has hosted major sport events including international water polo championships, the 1983 University Games and World Cup Swimming from 1998 to 2001.
The Alberta and Northern Territories Branch of The Lifesaving Society, Canada hosted this Championships.
The 2011 Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships took place in Durban, South Africa from 27 September to 1 October 2011.
The Festival ran from 8 to 12 August 2017 at the King’s Park Swimming Complex, Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
The opening and closing ceremony were held at the South Leeds Stadium, home of the Hunslet Hawks Rugby League team.