Angola: XVI African Swimming Championship
O 16th African Swimming Championships, will be played in Luanda from April 30 to May XNUMX. To this end, the Alvalade swimming pool complex, whose building was undergoing renovation work for a month, was officially handed over to the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MINJUD), in a ceremony held this Saturday, attended by the head of the department, Rui Falcão.
The Rehabilitation of the Alvalade Complex
Before signing the contract, the minister was given a guided tour of the rooms of the largest "cathedral" of its kind in the country, renovated by Mota-Engil. Speaking to the press, the minister highlighted the teamwork and thanked the Ministry of Public Works, Urban Planning, and Housing for its excellent support in ensuring the contractor's success.
“We know the pool well and we notice the difference between yesterday and today.”
“It is a work carried out urgently, but the result is there for all to see.”
“The contractor met the established deadlines and we are all satisfied,” said Rui Falcão at the time.
He added that the task was accomplished, as errors were corrected, including infiltration, gluing of new tiles, changing of the deck and other important interventions to improve the swimmers' performance during and after the competition, and he hopes that the Angolan athletes will do everything they can to occupy places on the podium.
Restoration work began on March 18th. The areas that were refurbished included replacing the flooring around the pool, installing the final flooring, renovating the water gutters, the diving platform, the VIP area benches, and the promenade.
The 2024 African Swimming Championships
44 countries are expected to participate in this XVI African Open Water Swimming Championships 2024, to be held at the Alvalade pool and on Mussulo Island, in Luanda.
Each competitor's points and performance will count toward direct qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This is the highest point achieved by national swimming on the continent, after having hosted Zonal IV for the second time in 2015 and 2023.
Angola, meanwhile, will be the ninth country to host this event, which began in 1974 in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt hosted the event again in 1982 and 2002, followed by Tunisia (1997, 1990, and 2022), Kenya (1998 and 2012), Morocco (2004 and 2010), and South Africa (2008 and 2016).
Senegal (2006), Algeria (2018), and Ghana (2021) have each hosted the event once. The 2020 African Championship, scheduled for South Africa, was canceled due to COVID-19. South Africa is the continent's most-titled country, with seven victories, and was the champion of the last edition.
Conclusion
Angolan swimmers are expected to shine at the 2024 African Swimming Championships and raise the national flag at the highest level, as this event, in addition to promoting sporting excellence, offers a crucial opportunity for athletes to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Angola is the ninth country to host the African Swimming Championships since their creation in 1974. In doing so, the country stands out as an African sports hub and demonstrates its commitment to sport and its ability to organize international events.
With the renovation of the Alvalade Aquatic Complex, the country is now ready to welcome athletes from 44 countries and offer, in addition to high-level competition, a unique and extraordinary spectacle not to be missed.
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Picture: © DR
