The Fédération Internationale de Natation-FINA World Junior World Open Water Swimming (OWS) Championships 2022 Organising Committee formally confirmed the dates for the event in a news conference held at Olympic House this morning.
Finally happening on the beautiful shores of Beau-Vallon, the championship is expected to host around 200 participants aged 14 to 19 from over 50 countries during September 16 to 18.
The event, which was anticipated to happen in 2020, will take place in the same course previously used during the 2018-2019 FINA Marathon Swim World series. Beau Vallon’s ocean bay, popularly known by locals and visitors alike, will once more be the prime venue and attraction during the championship.
Mr Ralph Jean-Louis, Principal Secretary for Youth and Sports, Mrs Sherin Francis-the principal secretary for tourism, Mr Alain Alcindor-the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Mr Suketu Patel Member of the Local Steering Committee, and FINA representative, Mr Raymond Hack were all present at the press conference.
During the meeting, presided by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Mr Alcindor the press was briefed about the progress made on the preparations for Seychelles to host the 8th edition of FINA WORLD JUNIOR OWS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022.
Participants in the championship this year will participate in a three-day tournament that consists of three primary individual events for boys and girls, respectively, plus a separate relay in which both genders will compete equally. There will be two boys and two girls competing in the mixed-gender relay.
By hosting the 2022 FINA World Junior Olympic Championships, Seychelles sets another precedence as the first country in the Africa region to host such a prestigious competition.
The organisers expressed their enthusiasm for the chosen destination and the overall unfolding of the competition. The FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championship has proven to be quite successful over the years and has hosted many young talents who have ascended to higher levels in swimming.
“We are pleased to host another FINA event, with this first World Junior Championships happening in September on our shores, we hope that our local talents will be inspired to participate in this international event and strive to be excellent in swimming,” said the PS for Youth and Sports, Mr Jean-Louis.
Speaking about the work undertaken by the organising team, Mrs Sherin Francis commended the efforts made by the team to ensure that once again Seychelles hosts a fantastic event.
“It is exciting for us to see once again our small destination in the forefront of such an important event on the international swimming calendars. Recovering from the pandemic and having the ability to push Seychelles on top as one of the best sports destinations in the region is a great achievement for us. We are pleased that this FINA event will increase the visibility of the destination by enhancing the exposure of the country on international media platforms. Events of such stature add more reasons for visitors to travel to our beautiful islands,” said the Principal Secretary for Tourism.
