… calls for swimmers to be given opportunity to at least train

THE Dorado Swim Club yesterday held a protest outside of the National Aquatic Centre at Lilleendaal, East Coast Demerara, calling on the National COVID-19 Task Force, to allow the club and other swimmers a chance to train ahead of up-coming regional and international engagements.

The club, home to some of Guyana’s top swimmers, believes that given the fact that there’s no physical contact in swimming, protocols can be put in place to see the safe return to the pool.
They are calling on the Task Force to give their swimmers a chance to at least train.

According to Stephanie Fraser, the swim club’s head coach, “Some of the competitive swimmers along with their parents decided to stage a peaceful protest after seeing other groups, who are more at risk of contracting the virus than swimmers, whose medium used during training is chlorinated water, being given permission to train and hold competitions.”
The swimmers and their parents/guardians, Fraser said, are seeking answers …“why they are not being allowed to train. All of their Caribbean swimming friends are allowed back into the pool, training while following strict COVID-19 guidelines.”

Several of the clubs’ age group swimmers had made the 2019 CARIFTA Qualifying times before the lockdown.
Fraser said, “The competitive swimmers are feeling frustrated, especially after seeing competition results from their sister Caribbean countries, and still no permission is being given for them to reopen the pool for training.”

The long-serving swim coach lauded the efforts made by recently-elected president, Dwayne Scott, who she said “has been working assiduously in trying to get the authorities responsible to grant permission for a limited number of swimmers who have been considered as our “CARIFTA” medal hopefuls to train …but to no avail.”

It was stated by the club that since September 2020, Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA), had written to, and meetings were held with Minister Anthony, Minister Ramson and the COVID-19 Task Force.

According to the Dorado Swim Club, FINA – swimming’s International body – COVID-19 guidelines allow for four swimmers per lane in the 25-metre pool and eight per lane in the 50-metre pool.

FINA, the club said, has determined that they can safely have 112 swimmers training simultaneously at the National Aquatic Centre, since it is an Olympic-size (50 metres) pool.
The GASA wrote to the Task Force seeking permission for 18 swimmers per session; that is one swimmer per lane in each pool.

The lanes of the pools are over two metres wide, which will automatically allow swimmers to be more than the mandated “social distance” of six feet.

The club said competitive swimmers inhale above the water and exhale into the water; they are therefore breathing out into chlorinated water – the lowest possibility of transmitting any respiratory disease.
The physical and mental effects on its young swimmers, who have not trained for a year, are major concerns, the club reasoned.