Clive Thabo Dube
Sports Reporter
ALL roads lead to Bulawayo City Pool along Simon Parirenyatwa street for the 2023 edition of the Bulawayo Amateurs Swimming Association (BASA) Junior Championships.
According to BASA Chairperson Phawulani Ngwenya, this year’s event will feature four local clubs such as Penguins, Crusaders, School of Swimming (SOS), Stingrays Swimming Academy. The fifth Club will be Zambezi Tigers from Victoria Falls who are participating as guests.
Ngwenya said the Junior Championships is a platform that is used by the province to select swimmers for both the Provincial and National team. This weekend’s event is used also to gauge the performance of local swimmers for the South African National Junior Championships set for April, The South African Seniors Tournament to be held in the same month, The African Swimming Confederation (CANA) again in April in Malawi and The Africa Junior Championships in South Sudan.
“We are expecting fireworks at the Junior Champs as the young swimmers will be showcasing their talent. Then from this tournament, the BASA Junior squad to represent Bulawayo at the Nationals in March will be selected and will represent Zimbabwe in other events to come on later this year.” Said Ngwenya.
“We have funded to clear the small pool area where the event will take place, and have taken all necessary preparations to make sure everything goes well. The City Pool is one of the best swimming Pool in the country and we will help the city council (BCC) to keep it that way,” he added.
Ngwenya also revealed that his Association has spruced up the Olympic Pool at the Bulawayo City Pool.
“This weekend’s event will take place at the small pool area and we have done a lot to ensure that it is in the right condition for our Championship. We will always partner the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) in order to keep the pool in the right condition. We are even more grateful to Dictor Khumalo, the Director of Housing and Community Services for making sure swimming strives in the city.
The BASA Chairperson also revealed that his Association will host the Zimbabwe Senior National Championships from the Sixteenth to the twenty first of February 2023. This championship will be the first major competition post Covid-19. Ngwenya urged Bulawayo residents to come out in their numbers to support team Bulawayo in their inter- provincial showpiece