Last week-end, the Exiles Clubhouse was ‘invaded’ by young swimmers, coaches and officials from fifteen European Nations to participate in the Open Water Junior Championships.

The event organized by the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta (ASA) in collaboration with Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) – the European Federation for Aquatic Sports. – was originally planned to be held in the Valletta Harbour  but was relocated at the eleventh hour to the Club Premises after talks with President Andrew Paris who accepted the proposal with open arms.

The President and Committee feel  proud of having been selected to provide the venue for The European Open Water Junior Championships held between the 13th and the 15th July.

As expected, the participation of athletes and officials swarmed the club for the events which attracted also local onlookers who followed the races from the Sliema promenade as the competing individuals swam to Fond Ghadir Bay and back under the strict surveillance of a flotilla of rescue boats and police patrolling the course on their rubber dinghies apart from the Competition Marshals from the International Federation..

Thanks to the co-operation of the Club members, the Club premises as well as the accessing to the sea were operative in a restricted manner with the expected disruption kept to a minimum as parts of the platform was cordoned off to host this unexpected international event and swimming by bathers in the course was banned

The starting block for all the swimmers races was the mooring of a temporary pontoon placed perpendicular to the foreshore. This structure was also utilized by members of the respective technical personnel of each participating team to assist the swimmers during the races.

The Committee feels indeed proud of hosting this event and takes this opportunity to thank its members for the co-operation shown as well as their understanding of the inconvenient factors created to hold such an event.

Picture shows the ‘starting’ block and finish of the event.

KaFa

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