DOHA AROUND 230 swimmers took part in the 5th H2O Short Course Autumn Cup organised by H2O Swim Club at the American School of Doha indoor pool on Friday.
The three-day event which began on Thursday saw swimmers as young as sevenyear- olds from 19 clubs belonging to seven countries contesting for the Cup. The championship will conclude on Saturday where winners will be awarded with medals.
Countries represented at the event included the UAE, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bahrain and Qatar.
Males and females competed in different categories like backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, breaststroke and individual medley. There was also a special H2O Challenge event.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, H2O Swim Club Managing Director Seema Pascoe said, “This was the largest event of the H2O Short Course Autumn Cup. These kinds of events promote sports culture in Qatar and the region.” “The aim of this event is to spread the awareness of swimming in Qatar. Sport helps in time management.
It’s an important part of everybody’s life. This event has been growing since the day it started. We are happy to get support from various clubs in Qatar. Our intention is to hold sporting events for everyone.
We are happy to host clubs from outside Qatar. We want to make this event recognised globally,” she added.
She further said, “Seeing children smile while achieving their personal best is very encouraging. They train so hard all year round. Our motto is to participate, challenge and achieve.” Pascoe added that the H2O Swim Club opened a club in Abu Dhabi recently. Regarding this, she said, “We want H2O to be part of the child’s life when their parents leave Qatar. The parents are committed. I would like to thank ASD and the parents for their support.” Clubs which took part in the championship were Al Ahli, H2O Swim Club, Piranhas Swim Club, Qatar Woman Sports Committee, Torpedoes and Al Saad from Qatar; Aqua Sports Academy, Sports Life Swimming Club and Wahoo Sports (the UAE); Cougars, Al Jazira Club, Al Najah Club (Lebanon); Elite Swim Team (Kuwait); King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Kohbar Laser Swim Team, Ras Tanura Swim Club and Team Typhoon (Saudi Arabia); and Yantar (Russia).
Praising the event Rola Natour, administrator at Cougars, said, “The event is well organised. We took part in a similar event in April. We tried to inspire the swimmers to fare better,” he said.
Alex Borodai, a coach at King Faisal Specialist Hospital who came with 23 swimmers from Saudi Arabia all aged between 8 and 16 years of age, said, “Events such as these create a competitive environment which motivates the swimmers. Parent’s involvement is also important.
It’s good to mingle with swimmers from other countries to share experiences. I believe my swimmers will get trophies by the end of the contest on Saturday,” he said.
Pierre Estragues, a swimmer from Piranhas swim team, who participated in six events, said, “I started swimming when I was 10. Backstroke is my favourite,” said the 15-year-old student of the French school.
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