THE Matabeleland Amateur Swimming Board (MASB) will host the Matabeleland Junior Swimming championships at Bulawayo City Pool on Sunday.

The gala is for swimmers from the Under-8 to the Under-12 age groups drawn from local clubs Petra Swimming Academy, Zambezi Tigers, Barracudas, Falcon, Crusaders, School of Swimming, Dolphins and Penguins.

MASB press and liaison officer Thomas Werret said: “There are lots of boys and girls in the juniors’ category that swim extremely well and this event gives them a chance to once again prove themselves. This group has a lot of swimmers, who if properly groomed, can make it on the international stage. We expect the gala to be very competitive, as it will give swimmers a chance to improve their times. We’re excited about the level of competition we’ve been witnessing of late and we urge aquatic sports lovers to come and cheer on the young swimmers.”

Swimmers will also have the chance to secure qualifying times for the African Swimming Confederation (CANA) Zone 4 championships to be held in South Africa later this year.

CANA is the African mother body for swimming and Zone 4 comprises southern African countries, which include Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

They will also use the swimming gala as preparation for the National Junior Championships to be held on a yet to be announced date.

Swimmers will take part in multiple events, including the 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 50m breaststroke. — @innocentskizoe