6 clubs ready for national swimming championship

Dar es Salaam. Six clubs have confirmed to compete in the national swimming club championship scheduled to take place at the Gymkhana Club’s swimming pool on Saturday and Sunday.

The clubs are Dar es Salaam Swimming Club (DSC), Taliss, Bluefins, Mwanza Swim Club, FK Blue Marlins and Morogoro International School’s MIS Piranhas.

Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, the chairperson of the competition organising committee, Hadija ‘Nasrim’ Shebe, said that they are expecting to see a thrilling event in which prominent swimmers will compete from 8am on both days. Hadija said swimmers are now in training for the competition sponsored by Selcom Paytech Ltd, Travelport Official Partners, Gymkhana, Pepsi, ITV, Jet, Azam, Flames and Knight Support.

She said the swimmers will compete in five styles, namely: freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, individual medley and in relays.

The event will see to swimmers competing in a total of 103 events. She said they have decided to have such a high number of events so as to enable them to more accurately gauge the swimmers’ prowess and strength when selecting some of them who would form the national swimming teams for various international tourneys.

Hadija said the events’ programme shows that a total of 60 events will be held during the first day, while the remaining ones will be held on the following day. The swimmers will have to show their ability and capability during the two-day event.

“This is a very important competition for swimmers because it will be used to select swimmers of all age categories to form national teams. The swimmers have to fight for that,” said Hadija.

The competition is a qualifying event that will also be used to select swimmers for the African Swimming Federation (Cana) Zone Three, as well as for the World Swimming Federation (Fina) events this year.

She, therefore, called upon Tanzanian swimmers to participate in this meet in order to be considered for the teams that will represent the country in future championships. The event will also be used to promote the sport in the country and beyond its borders.

“The events will be open to all current (2020/2021) TSA-registered swimmers,” she said.

She revealed that foreign swimmers would be allowed to compete - but only if they meet the qualifying time standards, and have been cleared by their Federations to compete in Tanzania.