The ninth FINA (International Swimming Federation) Synchronized Swimming World Trophy will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Ying Tung Natatorium of the National Olympic Sport Center in Beijing.

The event was originally planned for the nearby Water Cube, where the swimming competitions of the 2008 Olympic Games were held, ­organizers told reporters during a news conference on Friday.

But last month, President Xi Jinping hosted a banquet at the Water Cube for attendees at the APEC Economic Leaders' Week, and part of the facilities for the banquet are still there, so organizers moved the swimming competition to the nearby Ying Tung Natatorium, the main swimming venue during the 1990 Asian Games.

This is the second time China has hosted the event. It was last held in Beijing in 2011.

The FINA Synchronized Swimming World Trophy has been organized once a year since 2006.

Eight to 12 nations and ­regions are invited each time, according to their rankings from recent world ­championships and the ­Olympic Games.

This time, a total of seven teams will compete in Beijing: China, Russia, Spain, Italy, Canada, Ukraine and Mexico.

Unlike other swimming competitions, scores for synchronized swimming are given based on artistic impression only.

Apart from five FINA judges, another five celebrity judges will also be rating the swimmers' performances.

The celebrity­ ­judges include not only Chinese sports stars, such as swimming world champion Luo Xuejuan and Olympic short-track speed skating gold medalist Li Jianrou, but also stars from show business like crosstalk performer He Yunwei, and singer Yu Wenhua.