OPTIMISTIC that swimming will be established all across Guyana, the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) hopes to roll out an outreach programme in several regions this year, and once it gets approval from the body’s council, a start will be made in Mahdia, Region 8.

This comes even as the association is hopeful of adding two new clubs to its list during the first quarter of the year, as the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force swimming clubs come on board.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport, president of the GASA, Ivan Persaud shared that when the programme first rolls out the association will be looking to start in those areas where swimming interest already exists.

While such an extensive outreach would be financially taxing, Persaud noted that some amount of financing is expected from the world swimming body, FINA, and hopefully this will be enough to bankroll the initiative.
“We’re trying to ensure that each region has a club or clubs, because we’re trying to increase participation. We’re trying to give them as much help as possible as it pertains to training in all the different areas. That’s our plan,” Persaud said.

“We are expecting to get some finance from FINA this year and we’re budgeting for those things in it. We don’t know how far we will get, but we will try as much as possible to prioritise those areas that already have swimmers. We won’t go now into an area that doesn’t have any swimming going on; we would leave that maybe for next year.
“We’re hoping to get Mahdia involved as one of the first places as well as Region One, Moruca, Bartica, and Lethem. Those are some of the areas, and of course we always are in touch with Linden.”

The delegation to travel to the areas to conduct the sessions is expected to be small consisting of two to three persons, and once given the green light from the executives, things could begin within the first quarter of the year.

“It’s still mapping out. We haven’t voted as yet in council but we are working on it. It would be two or three persons, coaches and some members of the executive,” Persaud noted.
As it pertains to the addition of the GDF and GPF swimming clubs, Persaud said that is a welcome development in the sport. Swimming had been added as a sport at the annual Joint Services Championships a few years ago, and both the GPF and GDF had petitioned GASA to become affiliated members of the body.

“To be a club you have to fulfil certain requirements, such as having a certain amount of swimmers, a coach, a place where they can swim and train and to have an executive. So now it’s time for them to come on board having fulfilled all of the prerequisites, so both of them have qualified.
“We’re hoping that by the end of February we get it done, and at our Mash meet they can participate as GASA members rather than unattached,” Persaud said.

This addition will bring a much-needed boost to the senior line-up of the sport, which has remained an area starved of competition for quite some time now.
Guyana’s swimming programme consists, of and focuses almost entirely on junior swimmers, as swimmers generally leave the sport once they age out of the junior category.

Even for those seniors who remain, there is little area for them to develop their skills, with less than a handful of international events to attend during the year to really motivate them.