20 swimmers earmarked for Cana in Angola
Some 20 swimmers have been earmarked for participation during the three-day 2015 Cana Zone 1V Swimming Championships due in Luanda Swimming Pool Angola from May 6 2015.
Malawi Acquatic Union (MAU), which governs all domestic water sport events, short-listed the swimmers during a recent national championship held at Saint Andrews International High School.
However, for MAU to dispatch the team, it needs K20 million for the 20-member squad, the association’s president Dean Pinto said on Monday.
“We have 40 swimmers, but from there we hope to send a team of 20 swimmers, failure of which the squad will be trimmed to a squad of just eight. The budget will be K8 million as bare minimum,” said Pinto.
The trip to Angola is part of the swimmers’ efforts to qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Other swimmers from the pool that could make the Malawi team are Ammara Pinto, Kirster Millar, Tayamika Changanamuno, Malaika Trindad, Joyce Tafatatha and Mwendeyi Kamwendo in the girls’ category.
The boys’ section comprise Brave Lifa, Michael Swift, Nyakhoko Nsona Jnr, Net Banda. Monica Changanamuno is the team manager, with Yona Walesi and Charlton Nyirenda as head coach and assistant coach.
MAU wants to become a first domestic sports association to produce a qualified athlete, lest they, as usual be represented by a swimmer on Olympic solidarity.
Olympic Solidarity is a division of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that funds participation of athletes from countries that have not produced qualified athletes.
“In July, we should be sending at least four swimmers to Russia for another qualifying tournament that will require some K8 million. We also need to send two swimmers to Singapore for World Youth Championship in August and others to Egypt in October for Africa Championship,” added Pinto.
“After that we would have established a core of 12 swimmers from which we will select qualified swimmers or those on solidarity,” said Pinto.
Some swimmers in Angola are expected to come from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia.
