Swimming: 2024 World Aquatics Championships – Doha, Qatar (February 2-18) |31 January 2024

Thierry Payet, Damien Payet and Simon Bachman

Seven swimmers to represent Seychelles at Doha world meet

Seychelles will be represented at the World Aquatics Championships 2024 which will take place from February 2-18 in Doha, Qatar by seven swimmers who will compete in both pool events and open water.

The swimmers making up Team Seychelles are Dorianne Bristol (open water – 5km), Damien Payet (open water – 5km), Thierry Payet (open water – 5km), Aaliyah Palestrini (50m freestyle and 50m backstroke), Angelina Smythe (100m backstroke and 100m freestyle), Simon Bachmann (200m individual medley and 200m butterfly), Adam Moncherry (50m freestyle and 50m butterfly).

They will be accompanied by coach Robert Suzette and chairman of the Seychelles Aquatic Federation (SAF) Muriel Morgan who will be attending a meeting during the event.

Out of the group, only Bristol – who trains locally – will be leaving today, together with coach Suzette, while the rest of the swimmers will join the team in Doha, flying in from South Africa, France, and Australia.

As for Mrs Morgan, she will leave the country on February 13.

The World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024 will represent the last chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for many athletes around the world, and it will bring together around 2,600 elite athletes from 190 nations.

The primary venues for the championships are the Aspire Dome, Hamad Aquatic Centre, and the Old Doha Port, chosen for their technical suitability, past experience in hosting major international events, and their ability to create an unforgettable experience for both participants and spectators alike

The 2024 World Aquatics Championships, the 21st challenge, were originally scheduled to be held in November 2023, but were postponed in response to the rescheduling of the 20th World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan from 2021 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and then again to July 14-30, 2023 due to travel restrictions and safety measures in place in Japan.

It is the first time the championships will be staged in the Middle East.

Doha staged the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2014, and has also staged nine legs of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series between 2012 and 2021.

A number of swimmers and member federations have expressed concerns regarding the timing of these championships, given they take place just five months before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Compiled by Roland Duval