AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Swimming Association (TSA) has decided to cancel all competitions drafted in this year’s calendar of events.
However, training for swimmers will continue under the clubs as well as at special camp, which started yesterday at the Champions Rise swimming pool owned by Shaaban Robert Secondary School.
TSA Secretary General, Inviolata Itatiro said that they have decided to postpone all competitions this year due to technical and other reasons.
Inviolata said currently, swimmers are not fit to compete after staying out of the water for more than 70 days and need lots of time to regain their fitness levels.
“Swimming is not like football or basketball, in football you can gain your fitness level by sprinting and does other aerobic exercises. Swimming needs all your body to be fit, there is water confidence, strokes development, endurances and others training programmes to enable them regain the high level for them to compete,” said Inviolata.
She said, apart from sponsorship challenges, the TSA depends on the privately owned swimming pools.
“We know Covid-19 has affected many companies that are used to sponsor our activities. Most of them have just resumed their daily activities and it is becomes difficult for them to support us,” she said.
According to Inviolata, most swimmers are pupils/students from the schools and after their return to schools; they will certainly be busy with the studies due to catch up with limited time.
“Most of our stakeholders in the game are international schools. They have clubs like Morogoro International School (Mis Piranhas), International School of Tanganyika (IST), and Mwanza’s Isamilo, Moshi International School, United World College East Africa, FK Blue Marlins and others,” she said.
