Published on 17 August 2022
Swimming Otago’s next competition, ‘Short Course’ is due to be held at The Waitaki Aquatic Centre over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th September with entrants given the opportunity to compete against athletes from across the region and beyond.
Ōamaru Swim Club has been consistently strong in meets, winning the South Island Regional ‘Makos’ age group champs in 2016, 2017 & 2018 along with a top 3 finish in 2019. Ōamaru was scheduled to host regional swim meets in 2020 however these were cancelled due to Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions and the Waitaki Aquatic Centre welcomes swim meets back.
Aquatic Centre Facility Manager, Matthew Lanyon said “It is great that after the disruptions of the last few years due to Covid that we can hold these events again – many swimmers, competitive and non-competitive - have got out of the habit due to the ongoing disruptions so it is so good to be assisting the Ōamaru Swim Club in hosting this event.”
The ‘Short Course’ meet is well suited to currently registered Swimming NZ members of all abilities. There are no qualifying times for event entry, but club coaches are asked to ensure their athletes are capable of the distance entered.
Ōamaru Swim Club President Charly McDiarmid said “This competition is well suited to currently registered Swimming NZ members of all abilities – there is an event for everyone! After the recent commonwealth games success, you may be watching the next crop of champion swimmers.”
Matthew Lanyon is looking forward to supporting the Ōamaru Swim Club in co-hosting this swim event. “We look forward to welcoming swim teams from around Otago and further afield in Ōamaru this year and hope that the teams will have a bit of time to enjoy the activities and attractions around Ōamaru between events.”
The competition will run across the weekend from 1.30pm Saturday 3rd to just after midday on Sunday 4th September. The main pool will be out of action for public swimming while the meet is on however all other pools are open as normal.