30 swimmers to represent Tanzania in Rwanda’s Cana Zone Three event

Dar es Salaam. A total of 30 swimmers have been selected to form the national swimming team ahead of the African Zone Three championships scheduled to take place from November 23 to 26 in Kigali, Rwanda.

The eighth edition of Cana Zone Three will be held at the Gahanga Swimming Pool.

Rwanda will be hosting the event for the second time after doing so seven years ago.

Tanzania Swimming Association (TSA) secretary general Inviolata Itatiro named the swimmers as Santo Bash, Aryan BhattBhatt, Lorita Borega, Amylia Chali, Filbertha Demello, Mahek Desai, Crissa Dillip, Romeo-Mihaly, Sahal Harunani, Bridget Heep and Peter Itatiro. Itatiro named other swimmers as Michael Joseph, Aliyana Kachra, Aminaz Kachra, Kaysan Kachra, Natalia Ladha, Audrey Makwaia, Myra Makwaia, Julius Missokia, Max Missokia and Zainab Moosajee.

Also, on the list are Luke Okore, Maurice Austin Okore, Enrico Barretto, Delbert Panya, Aaliya Takim, Juanita Viljoen, Nicolene Viljoen, Collins Saliboko and Muskan Gaikwad.

The team will be under coaches Alexander Mwaipasi, Michael Livingstone and Zuberi Likoko while team manager is Nadejda Kachra and Carmen DeMello who is athlete manager.

Other officials are Maiju Missokia who is a matron; Abraham Okore (chaperone); Jeremiah Keema (TSA director of Education and Development) and swimming governing body chairman David Mwasyoge.

According to Itatiro, the swimmers will be targeting to defend the title after winning it in the last edition.

Tanzania’s first zone three title victory was in 2016 and managed to defend it well in 2017 before again clinching the title in 2022.

TSA’s vision

Tanzania's vision of featuring in the Africa Aquatics Zone III Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, is rooted in a commitment to the excellence and development of aquatic sports within the country.

By competing in this prestigious event, Tanzania aims to achieve the following objectives:

Promote sports excellence

Tanzania seeks to showcase its talented swimmers on a regional platform, fostering a spirit of competition and striving for excellence in aquatics.

“Tanzania seeks to showcase its talented swimmers on a regional platform, fostering a spirit of competition and striving for excellence in aquatics, we thank the swimming community for the big support ahead of the event, ” said Itatiro.

International exposure

Itatiro said competing in international events like the Africa Aquatics Zone III Championships provides Tanzanian swimmers with invaluable exposure to high-level competition and enables them to gain experience and compete at an international level.

National pride

The performance of Tanzanian swimmers in Kigali, Rwanda, is expected to bring national pride and enthusiasm for aquatic sports, inspiring the youth and the entire nation to engage in water-based activities.

Talent development

Tanzania competing in this championship aligns with a broader vision of nurturing and developing young swimmers into future champions, fostering a strong and sustainable aquatics community.

Networking and collaboration

Engaging with other nations in the region fosters networking opportunities and potential collaboration for future aquatic meets, building stronger relations within the African aquatic community.

Opportunity for Tanzanian swimmers

Swimmers in the Africa Aquatics Zone III championships will demonstrate substantial potential to secure qualifications for competing in the World Aquatics Championships and eventually the Olympic Games. “It is our sincere gratitude to the swimming community for their tremendous support.

“We are extremely proud of Team Tanzanite and we are looking forward to an exciting competition and seeing them return home victorious,” said Itatiro.