National Age Group Swimming C'ships from July 28 to 30

by Leslie Fernando

All leading swimmers and divers will participate at the three day National Age Group Swimming and Diving Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) to be held from July 28 to 30 at the Sugathadasa Stadium swimming pool.

According to a official of SLASU the National Age Group Swimming and Diving Championships will help the swimmers who are already selected to the South Asian Games training pool to improve on their performances.

In 2004 St. Joseph's College emerged boys champions while Mahamaya College, Kandy retained the girls overall championships.

Royal College retained the boys' overall diving championships and Bishop's College became overall girls diving champions.

The age categories for swimming or both boys and girls are under-10, under 12, under-14, under-16, under-19 and over-19. Altogether 136 events are on the card. All events will be swum as timed finals except for the 50 metres free-style event.

There will be qualifying times set to enter for all 136 events. The normal events are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 metres freestyle. 50, 100, 200, metres breast stroke, 50, 100, 200 metres back stroke, 50, 100, 200 metres butterfly stroke, 200 and 400 metres individual medley. The meet will begin at 8.30 a.m. and the afternoon session from 2.30 p.m. each day.

The diving championships will take on same days as swimming but the events will start from 11.00 a.m. each day. The age groups are Group 'C' age 13 years and below, Group 'B' 14 to 15 years, Group 'A' 16, 17, 18, years and group 'D'-open age 19 years and above. The events are one-metres and three-metres spring board and platform diving.

The age group champions will be selected among the boys and girls and challenge trophies will be presented by Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union. The swimmers failing to equal or improve on the qualifying times will not score points.

The age group and overall team championships will be decided on points and if there is a tie, performances will be compared with the record and decision made by SLASU.

The points will be awarded as follows for the first 8 places first place (10), second (7), third (6), fourth (5), sixth (4), seventh (2) eighth (1).