Swimming, Judo call for investment after Olympics experience
Some of Tanzania’s sportsmen and women pose at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) Terminal 3 shortly after their arrival from the Paris Olympics. PHOTO | IMANI MAKONGORO
What you need to know:
- Tanzanian swimmers Collins Saliboko and Sophia Latiff have stressed the need for greater investment in the sport to excel in international competitions like the Olympic Games.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian swimmers Collins Saliboko and Sophia Latiff have stressed the need for greater investment in the sport to excel in international competitions like the Olympic Games.
The two athletes arrived at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) Terminal 3 yesterday, returning from France after representing Tanzania on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
Saliboko, reflecting on his Olympic experience, highlighted a significant challenge faced by Tanzanian swimmers: the absence of a modern 50-meter swimming pool in the country.
He pointed out that most local competitions are held in 25-meter pools, which limits their ability to train effectively for international competitions that require a 50-meter pool like other countries.
"To train in a modern 50-meter pool, we need to travel abroad, which is costly and often out of reach for many athletes," said Saliboko.
The swimmer also called attention to the financial struggles faced by Tanzanian athletes, who largely rely on personal or parental support to pursue qualifying standards and compete internationally.
"We need more support. Most of us are dependent on our parents to finance our training and competitions.
Without better infrastructure and financial backing, it's difficult to achieve our full potential on the global stage," he added.
Meanwhile, Judoka’s trainer, Innocent Mallya, who also returned from Paris, shared insights on the progress of Tanzania's judo team.
He said that although their Judoka, Andrew Mlugu, did not secure a medal, his performance was commendable and has laid a foundation for future success.
Mallya revealed that plans are already in place to increase the number of participants in judo to four ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with strategic preparations aimed at securing better outcomes.
Apart from the swimmers and Judoka, Tanzania also fielded long-distance runners Alphonce Felix, Gabriel Geay, Magdalena Shauri, and Jackline Sakilu in the event, but they did not secure a single medal.
The last time Tanzania won a medal in the Games was in 1980 in Moscow, through Filbert Bayi and Suleiman Nyambui.
