Abu Dhabi: GCC swimmers will have a good chance today in the 19th GCC Swimming Championship to compensate for the failures of their Arab counterparts in the Beijing Olympic Games.
And while comparison with the Olympics is irrelevant, the regional swimmers and in particular, UAE's Obaid Al Jasmi, will be determined to compensate for his failure in Beijing having finished last of the heat for the men's 100 metres free style to win the GCC gold justifying the three-month preparations.
Obaid registered 53.29 seconds in the Olympics in the 100 metres free style. "I am satisfied with what I did in the Olympic Games," Obaid said yesterday.
Benefit
"The gap between the GCC swimmers and those of the other participants, especially from the US, was huge and while we prepare for a few months before the Olympic Games, they prepare for years. They will start preparing for London Olympic Games directly after these games come to an end."
Obaid will take part in all types of swimming competitions including the freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly.
"I benefited greatly from my participation in the Olympic Games and succeeded in bettering my personal record and I am looking forward to taking part in the GCC Championships and I am determined to achieve good results," Obaid concluded.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Al Flasi, the Chairman of the UAE Swimming Federation, welcomed the participants from the other GCC countries, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman wishing them a good stay in Abu Dhabi and good results in the competitions.
"I am pleased to welcome our brothers from the GCC countries to Abu Dhabi and I wish them good luck in the competitions.
"I have great faith in the capabilities of our swimmers to achieve good results and I do hope that they will find good support from the UAE fans."
The competitions will start at 10am today at the Al Jazira Olympic Swimming Indoor Pool.
Etisalat to sponsor event
In line with its core philosophy of extending reach and encouraging talent, etisalat, one of the region's largest telecom operators, is sponsoring the 19th GCC Swimming Tournament.
The one-week swimming tournament to be held in Abu Dhabi's Al Jazeera Sports Club features four Beijing Olympic participants and National swimming teams from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, who would be competing for the title.
Commenting on the official sponsorship deal, Khalifa Al Shamsi, acting Chief Marketing Officer, etisalat, said, "etisalat believes in connecting people and extending reach through technology and human touch. While the technology connect comes from our diverse portfolio of products and services, the human touch is accomplished through the sporting and networking events, where people from different countries showcase their talent. We support and endorse such initiatives that aim to promote local talent."
