The Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation (Nasfed) will host its annual National Short Course Swimming Championship at The Cube in Swakopmund from today till Sunday.
Swimmers from all of Namibia’s clubs will participate in the championship after they participated in various short course swimming galas at various venues throughout the country, where local swimmers had the chance to qualify for the national championship.
“We are excited to announce that the competition is at a higher level than previous years as we have entries from 16 foreign clubs from South Africa, Angola and Zambia, who are sending 30 of their top swimmers to take part,” Nasfed said in a press release this week.
“This year we have put in even a bigger effort to get the neighbouring countries to take part in the competition. It is all part of our drive to give our swimmers the best possible competition at our galas and to promote Namibia, our federation, pools and facilities as a sports tourist destination,” it added, saying that the foreign swimmers will provide very strong competition.
“Foreign swimmers are seeded in the top three placings in 17 of the 80 events and if one takes into consideration that 35 of these events are masters or relays in which the foreign clubs did not send swimmers or do not take part in, then it is clear that this will be is some serious competition for our swimmers,” it stated.
“The participation of these swimmers will surely keep us on the edge of our seats, especially to witness the intense battle between local and international participants. A total of 246 talented swimmers, between seven and 71 years old have entered and will compete in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and the individual medley,” it added.
“Hosting high-profile sporting events of this magnitude, brings publicity by raising the profile of our country and the potential for increasing sports tourism. By working with local stakeholders, these sectors have the benefit to freely market themselves and provide a positive impact in their community,” it said.
“In conclusion, sports tourism has a significant impact on the economic growth of cities across the globe. It creates job opportunities, increased tax revenue, boosts local businesses and attracts new businesses to the area. It is with great enthusiasm that the federation invites the public to witness this memorable event and to support and develop swimming as a priority sports code with national recognition,” it concluded.
The first session starts at 14h00 today, while the official opening is on Saturday at 08h00. The meet will be broadcast live on various social media platforms, as well as on Dstv channel 285 and Gotv channel 94.
