Swimmers vying for top honours
KOTA KINABALU: Close to 400 swimmers will be vying for top honours at the three-day 52nd Sabah Invitational Age-Group Swimming Championship, starting today.
The event will be held at the Aquatic Centre, Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex in Likas near here.
Sabah Aquatic Sports Association (SASA) deputy president Patrick Laing Ngau said 392 swimmers from nine teams had been registered for the championship.
“The teams comprise five SASA affiliated clubs, three from Labuan and another one from the Sabah Sports School Malaysia (SSMS),” Patrick, who is also SASA acting president, said here yesterday.
Kota Kinabalu-based Sea Dragon Swimming Club will start as favourites they look to secure a third straight overall title in the championship.
For the record, Sea Dragon bagged 48 gold, 32 silver and 34 bronze medals in 2017 before retaining their title last year with an improved haul of 61 gold, 44 silver and 44 bronze medals.
Patrick went on say that the meet would be a platform to select swimmers to represent Sabah to the Malaysia Invitational AgeGroup Meet in Bukit Jalil from March 7-10.
“It is my hope to see more swimmers qualifying for the national age-group meet,” added Patrick while urging the swimmers to give their best.
Patrick also thanked the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) for providing FINA certified referee, Jeffrey Sim, for the championship.
Patrick said it would only add more prestige to the state level age-group competition.
“Mr. Jefrrey Sim, a FINA certified referee, has been involved in many national and international meets,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey was also the instructor of the twoday SASA-organised Level III Technical Officials Course.
The course, which concluded last night, was aimed at producing more qualified officials so as to improve the standardof the sport of swimming in Sabah.