THE eighteenth edition of the annual Goodwill Swimming Championships was officially branded yesterday  by Digicel when the company announced the move to partner with the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) at their Parade Street, Kingston building.
The event is slated for August 17 – 19 at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) with Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname rivaling Guyana.
According to GASA Secretary, Dee George, the only team that carries a full contingent is championship front-runner T&T which is 40 swimmers and eight officials, while next top contender Suriname have 36 swimmers, Barbados has 31 swimmers and hosts, Guyana have 27 swimmers.
George stated all teams will be arriving in Guyana today to begin their preparations for the three-day event.
She said the association is quite proud because they will be able to accommodate the swimmers on the three days to keep them energized.
The secretary disclosed that it has been about a week since the 50-metre pool had been altered for the event which is traditionally a 25-metre pool championship. This year, she said, Guyana is expected to be among the medals in these top junior events.
Digicel’s Sponsoring Manager Gavin Hope said, “Digicel continues to support the development of sport with the acceptance of this invitation.
This is Digicel’s maiden voyage with the swimming association. “The first time we got the invitation we thought about it and said it would be a good way to display our support of developing the sport because we are always for developing people”, Hope said.