By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – Eswatini is guaranteed that three athletes will compete in the coming Paris 2024 Olympics Games in France.
This comes after the Olympic Committee allocated three universality slots for the country, two swimmers and one athlete. Universality places or slots are a lifeline to athletes from underrepresented National Olympic Committees. They are designed to increase the diversity of participating nations across the sports programme of the Olympic Games.
Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maxwell Jele announced today (May 15, 2024) during a press conference held at Mountain View, Mbabane.
He said so far, no athletes in the country have qualified for the games to be held from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France. He said the qualifiers are still on going and the country’s athletes including those from athletics, swimming and boxing continue were still attempting to qualify for the games.
“We have applied for boxing and taekwondo to also be handed the universality slots in the games and we are waiting for the response,” he said.
The country’s was represented by four athletes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Game held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were swimmers Simanga Dlamini and Robyn Young, boxer Thabiso Dlamini and athlete Sibusiso ‘Swazi Bolt’ Matsenjwa who made history in the 200m by reaching the semi-finals and set new national record.
