Swimmers Off To Manchester

By Tumelo Setshogo
Correspondent | Monday April 7, 2008 00:00

The swimmers are Samantha Paxinos (20) and John Kamyika (19) who have received a P60,000 sponsorship from Sugar Industries. After the world event, they will represent Botswana at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China in August. In Manchester, they will compete with over 900 swimmers from 130 countries at the biennial event at the newly constructed 25-metre-pool. Both swimmers will take part in butterfly and freestyle. Kamyika won three gold and two silver medals in Swaziland last year while Paxinos competed at the All Africa Games in Algiers and this year's Sub Sahara Championships held in Malawi.

Presenting the sponsorship cheque to the Botswana Swimmers Sport Association (BSSA) at the Grand Palm on Thursday, Sugar Industries managing director Buck Buchanan said he is delighted to fund the two swimmers to participate in the championship, which is seen as an international warm up event for the Olympics.He said the world event is a major swimming contest attracting some of the best swimmers. 'We are proud to assist in helping Paxinos and Kamyika to compete at this level.

We see Paxinos and Kamyika as two ambassadors for Botswana in the international sporting area,' said Buchanan. Buchanan said his company endorses the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC)'s vision for developing the country into a world class sporting nation and the sponsorship to the two swimmers fitted this goal.

He noted that the grant will cover the cost of the swimmers' flight, meals and accommodation. BSSA president Nasreen Essack thanked Sugar Industries for the sponsorship when they were facing financial crisis. She said as a new body, they do not have enough financial resources to carry out their mandate therefore they rely on sponsorships.

Essack noted that they do not have their own pools where swimmers can train. 'We rely on school swimming pools for practice,' she said. The two swimmers are expected back after the end of the championship on April 13.