Hilal: Tanzania can excel in sports through swimming

Dar es Salaam. A Prominent male swimmer in the country, Hilal Hemed Hilal has said Tanzania can do well in the sport should it be well promoted.

Hilal who recently won bronze medal in the African Swimming Confederation (Cana) Zone Four championship in Mauritius in butterfly 50 meters after clocking 24.56, said Tanzania has abundance of talented swimmers, who remained untapped.

He said the country lacks modern swimming facilities to influence development.

“The country has no modern swimming pools and other facilities, hence denying chances of excellence”, he said.

“We have only 25-meter long swimming pools instead of those with 50 metres”.

“The swimming pools we have are not recognized by international swimming organization like Cana and Fina”,

He said he is now experienced with the modern facilities, after securing training camp in Dubai’s Hamilton that made him to attain international exposure.

“We faced many challenges in Mauritius during the Cana Zone 4 Championship because we used to swim in 25-metre pools”,

“ Their 50- meter pool was not deep compared to which we used to swim in our country”, he said.

“Their diving blocks were slippery, we were not afraid of diving”, he said.

He has called swimming stakeholders in the country to struggle and build the community pool that will enable local swimmers train daily.

“We have good coaches, but we have not enough good modern facilities”m he said.