ESA will achieve great heights - Fritz
MBABANE – Swimming South Africa (SwimSA) President Alan Fritz hasexpressed confidence in the Eswatini Swimming Association’s (ESA) potential for growth and success after his recent visit to the country.
The SwimSA President said this during his visit to the country where ESA announced the implementation of the Development of National Sport System (DNSS) project, funded by the Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA).
This initiative aims to strengthen the national sports structure in Eswatini. Recently, the EOCGA revealed a financial contribution of E560 000 from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to support the ESA. EOCGA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maxwell Jele made the announcement during a press conference held at their headquarters in Lobamba. The funding is part of the IOC’s DNSS programme, which focuses on enhancing the infrmeastructure and capacity of national sports organisations.
With this financial backing, the ESA is well-positioned to foster growth and development in the sport of swimming across Eswatini.
Support
The support from the IOC and EOCGA, coupled with the guidance of experts like Alan Fritz, sets a promising foundation for the future success of swimming in the country.
“The Eswatini Swimming Association is on a mission to become a major player in the sport.
“The leadership of the association started a journey of designing a strategic plan last year.
Over the past weekend, the federation went into overdrive mapping leadership competencies, integrating world class governance practices and unpacking the seven key pillars of high performance, education and training, mass participation, marketing and communication of the association including sponsor and stakeholder management, athlete safe guarding, digitising the federation, increasing school participation and redesigning of competition structures that will allow athletes to focus on preparing for podium positions in the zonal and continental competitions.
“The planning sessions will definitely make the association a benchmark sports federation under the banner of EOCGA,” he said.
Meanwhile (ESA) Secretary General (SG) Nozipho Mahlalela emphasized the importance of benchmarking against leading federations in South Africa and the African continent as a whole.
By comparing and learning from successful organisations, the ESA aims to achieve its objective of becoming one of the top swimming federations in the region.
Abundant
“The partnership with South Africa has proven invaluable for the Eswatini Swimming Association (ESA), providing abundant learning opportunities and guidance through information sharing.
“Recognising the need to update their strategy, ESA has now aligned itself with world leaders in the sport, which is already yielding positive results for the association.
“SwimSA president has pledged ongoing support to ESA, demonstrating a commitment to their long-term growth and development.
This collaboration between the two organisations is expected to continue fostering mutual benefits and advancements in the sport of swimming,” she said.