Doubt surrounds the staging of this year's Carifta Games which is scheduled to be held in Barbados.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to plague sporting tournaments around the world, and on Saturday the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Amateur Swimming Association of T&T (ASATT) Gresha Gonzales said a meeting is expected to take place soon.
ASATT could find itself in a challenging situation regarding the selection of the team due to the COVID-19 which hampered the selection process. "For instance, usually there would be a meet in December at which the swimmers can compete and be selected for the team, however, swimmers can make the qualifying times from October of the previous year.
There is usually the national age group long course meet in February for young swimmers to make the team, however, there was no meeting in December last year and it is unsure of whether a meet can be staged in February, ahead of the Carifta Games which is usually held at the end of March to early April.
President of the ASATT Lyndsay Gillette could not be reached yesterday but vice president Joseph Mc Leod said in December that decisions will have to be made to have at least two meets this year to select and prepare the young swimmers for the Carifta Games.
In December last year, the ASATT held a National Short and Long Course Trials at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) in Balmain Couva, but it only allowed swimmers the opportunity to attempt to break national records in the short course trials.
Gonzales told Guardian Media Sports that the Long Couse event was one for swimmers to improve their times for the Junior Pan Am Games and Olympics Qualifiers, and as such could not be used for the selection of the Carifta team.
Since then, swimmers preparing for competition, have been allowed to train at pools across the country, but not with the freedom and length of time they did before, Gonzales explained. "The length of preparation time has been reduced from two hours to one or one and a half hours in some instances and the swimmers have also been spaced out in line with the COVID19 protocol," Gonzales explained.
Meanwhile, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election of Officers of the ASATT are carded to take place this year after several facts stood in the way of the meeting taking place for each of the last three years.