TSUNAMI RECOVERED SAMOA TO HOST OCEANIA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
SWIMMING, May 26: The stage is set for one of the busiest competitive years in recent memory for swimming teams from the Oceania Region and particularly the major nations with the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth Games on their radar before the FINA World Short Course Championships. ...IAN HANSON is the official Oceania correspondent for the FINA Aquatics Magazine.
The Australian and New Zealand National teams will headline the Oceania attendance for the 11th Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California (August 18-22) and the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi (October 3-14) before turning their attentions to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for the 10th FINA World Short Course Championships (December 15-19).
But for the smaller nations the 8th Oceania Swimming Championships between June 13 and 21, 2010 at Samoa's Tuana'imato Aquatic Centre in capital Apia and the open water events at the Faleasiu Open Water course, will take centre stage.
Eight months after the fury of the 8.3 magnitude earthquake devastated the Pacific islands, Apia, will proudly open its doors to the 13 member nations: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tahiti.
The most powerful swimming nation in the region, Australia, will send a 23-strong team led by 1984 Olympian and Australian Olympic coach Glenn Beringen as the head coach.
Australian team is : GIRLS: Amy Allen 16 (St Peters Western , QLD), Jessica Ashwood 16 (Bayside, NSW), Belinda Bennett 17 (Nunawading, VIC), Amelia Evatt‐Davey 19 (St Peters Western, QLD), Madeline Groves 14 St (Peters Western, QLD), Whitney Ireland 16 (Norwood, SA), Rebecca Kemp 18 (Mackay, QLD), Jade Neilsen 18 (Pro‐Ma Miami, QLD), Jenni O'Neil 18 (Norwood , SA), Tiffany Papaemanouil 19 (Pro‐Ma Miami, QLD) Amy Smith 20 St (Peters Western, QLD), Brooke Wilson 16 (City of Perth, WA). BOYS: Braiden Camm 19 (Redlands, QLD), Codie Grimsey 19 (Albany Creek, QLD), Grant Irvine 19 (St Peters Western , QLD), Bobby Jovanovich 20 (Brothers , QLD), Luke Kerswell 19 (Southside Aquatics, QLD), Jarrod Killey 19 (Hunter, NSW), Mitch Larkin 16 (St Peters Western, QLD), Jeremy Meyer 18 (Traralgon, ACT), Declan Potts 18 (Pro‐Ma Miami, QLD), James Roberts 19 (North End Aquatic, QLD), Hamish Rose 19 (City of Perth, WA).
Samoa Swimming put together an outstanding submission to host what will be a colourful week of aquatic activities and along with New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji will also field strong contingents with a total of 100 swimmers contesting the region's premier swim meet of the year.
The oldest record on the Oceania Swimming Championship books is held by Australia's former world record holder and Sydney 2000 Olympian Rebecca Brown who clocked 2:28.24 in the 200m breaststroke in the first championships in Noumea in 1993.
The 17-year-old mark could well be under treat from another Australian, 17-year-old Mackay swimmer Rebecca Kemp who has clocked 2:29.87 and 2:29.83 respectively at this year's Australian Open and Age Championships.
Oceania president Neil Martin says the Championships will be an ideal week for Samoa to showcase their little slice of paradise which suffered the devastation of last year's powerful earthquake which triggered a tsunami that swept the Pacific islands, killing over 189 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.
"The local organizing committee has done a superb job in putting this bid together and they are very excited to be hosting what will be a very special event in deed," said Mr Martin.