Secretary-general impressed with standard of swimming at this years Africa Champs

The Africa Aquatics Junior & Senior Swimming Championships commenced on Tuesday, 5 May in Oran, Algeria.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Naidoo says he was impressed with the depth of swimming across the continent.

“We have seen an incredible growth in the standard of the performances at the Africa Championships this year. With the depth of swimmers from across the continent increasing both at the junior and senior level. It was very impressive to see that many countries have entered teams that have competed at world championships over the last few years, and we’ve seen some very good performances,” said Naidoo

“The exceptional performance was in the 800m freestyle this evening, with Matthew Cladwell from South Africa in an incredible time this evening to beat some top swimmers from both Egypt and Algeria.”

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He added that the talent on display in Algeria bodes well for the upcoming Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which will be held in Dakar, Senegal from October 31 to November 13, 2026 as well as the World Shortcourse Championships in Beijing in December. 

“The talent seen as this championship bodes well for Africa going forward at the Youth Olympics scheduled for Senegal later this year and the Shortcourse Championships in Beijing in December.”

“We are looking forward to some exciting performances from these athletes and we certainly hope that the experiences here in Algeria will keep them in good stead going forward.”

Naidoo has praised the facility in Oran where the championships are taking place, which previously hosted the Mediterranean Games in 2022. 

He also acknowledged all the nations that have meddled after day one, notably South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Uganda and Mauritius.