Grenada to host OECS Swim Champ in '07

by Ryan O'Brien

CASTRIES, St Lucia, Nov 13 (CMC) – Officials of the OECS Swimming Congress have decided to expand the annual OECS swimming championships by inviting swimmers from Guadeloupe and Barbados to compete. The decision was one of several taken by the Congress during the recent staging of the annual swim meet at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre here which was won by Grenada. Swimmers from Martinique also attended this year’s championship, but did not feature in the overall placings. The Congress, which voted St Lucian Dr Marcus Day as the new president, also decided to have next year’s championships held in Grenada and made radical changes to the format of the existing competition. “There was a decision to have the next OECS championships in Grenada for 2007 with the intention of having the meet alternated between St Lucia and Grenada until other facilities are available,” a release from the OECS Swimming Congress said. The release stated that medals would be issued next year for OECS and invited participants but points would only be awarded to OECS teams.“It is anticipated these changes will augment the competition and help develop the OECS championships into a more significant swim meet for the Eastern Caribbean,” the release said.