Zambia Swimming Union (ZASU) President Guy Phiri says the federation has spent over US$130,000 on Tilka Paljk alone and has raised enough funds to sponsor her if she wishes to compete at the upcoming swimming competition in Ghana next month.
The ZASU president stated that the Union has continued to experience funding challenges like most unions world over, which has led to the union been unable to hold certain events but that it has raised enough funds. He called on Tilka to perhaps manage the support she has received so far better.
Phiri said the union has on going costs but has had very little income therefore the challenge in meeting some costs adding that the union has been unable to operate as normal due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Phiri said the union is reaching out to government through the National Sports Council of Zambia, and has managed to raise some corporate support through the International Swimming federation and received a US$ 25, 000 grant this year.
He said the union has competed in the last six Olympics and had performed well compared to other countries adding that in 2018, the union won the Southern African Championship among other wins.
Phiri mentioned that the union has spent over US$130, 000 on Tilka Paljk from 2017 to 2021 noting that the federation had taken her for a one-year training in Ohio, money which was raised by the union with the help of international supporters.
“That cost US$ 85, 000, she’s been on a scholarship for the last five years, supported by the International Olympic Committee that pays her a monthly amount of just under a thousand dollars every year so I think she has been funded exceptionally well, I think she needs to manage the support she has better”.
Phiri noted that the union has managed to raise most of the money for Paljk and other athletes in the past as some events are not funded adding that the National Olympics Committee prefunds certain events such as the Olympics.
He said the union has managed to raise enough funds and if Paljk chooses to go to the swimming championships in Ghana next month, the required funds will be available for her to do so.
“Unfortunately we don’t know, we have not been given any information from her coach in South Africa as to whether she is in training or not, we don’t know whether she’s training. We are not really sure whether she will be available but we are sure that during the course of this period, we will raise enough funding for her to attend if she would like to”, he said.
He mentioned that the union has over 400 competitive national swimmers adding that the union has new exciting young swimmers coming up.
When asked what other challenges the sport of swimming is facing in Zambia, Phiri noted that access to swimming pools, development of swimming pools; swimming pools in the right areas and closure of swimming pools have continued to remain a challenge.
“The challenge is that only in more expensive private schools do children have access to swimming pools, we as a federation as part of our strategic plan want to see access in government schools at school level. This is where our next Olympic champions are going to come from, they are not going to come from the private schools”, he said.
