Young swimmers seek financial assistance

Eight junior swimmers have been selected to represent Jamaica at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championship next month, but they have not secured funding to finance the trip, STAR Sports understands.

The team consists of Zaneta Alvaranga, Emily McDonald, Sabrina Lyn, and Gabrianna Banks on the girls side, and Kyle Sinclair, Cameron Brown, Nicholas Vale, and Nathaniel Thomas for the boys.

One of the parents, Rory Alvaranga, said that the swimmers are required to fund the trip themselves as the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) will not be providing any financial assistance.

"The ASAJ has given us a quotation of US$4,000 (over J$500,000) to attend the meet," he said. "That is US$4,000 per athlete, and the athletes will have to find that money themselves, 100 per cent. We have not heard anything about any sponsorship from ASAJ and the meet is fast approaching. The truth is that it is hard on parents to fund these trips solely for the kids to represent Jamaica, and we would like help from corporate Jamaica."

The meet is scheduled for August 20 - 25, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary, and Alvaranga reckoned the boys and girls need to get to Europe by August 13 to acclimatise to the conditions.

"We just financed Carifta Games and CCCAN (Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation championships) and now we are being asked to finance this again. I think at this level, corporate Jamaica or the Jamaica Olympic Association should step in and help ASAJ because these kids are the future," Alvaranga said.