DUBAI // Two Olympic gold-medallist swimmers will meet young competitors during a visit to the emirate.
South African Chad Le Clos and Tunisian Oussama Mellouli will chat with children on October 17 and 18.
Le Clos shot to fame after beating Olympic legend Michael Phelps to the gold in the 200-metre butterfly last year.
Mellouli is one of the best long-distance swimmers the sport has seen and the only person to win gold in both the World Championships and Olympics in the pool and in open-water races.
They are in Dubai to compete in the FINA Swimming World Cup at the Hamdan Sports Complex on Emirates Road, which also hosts a children’s event.
It is hoped the Olympians will inspire the next generation of stars.
The children’s competition features a range of races including 25m freestyle, 25m backstroke and 50m races in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly.
Registration for the children’s events is from 5.30pm on October 17 and 2pm on the 18th, but advance entries are required for the 50m races.
Le Clos and Mellouli will attract huge crowds in Dubai and understand the impact that meeting a sporting hero can have on young aspiring swimmers, said Ahmed Al Falasi, president of the UAE Swimming Association and chairman of the organising committee.
“We are so pleased they have been able to fit these sessions into their busy schedules, as inspiring and motivating children to become involved in swimming is one of the major reasons we are bringing these international swimming competitions to Dubai,” he said.
The Dubai competition is the fourth round of the eight-leg World Cup series, which began in August in Eindhoven in the Netherlands before moving on to Berlin.
The Moscow leg will be held on October 12 and 13 before the Dubai event.
The competition will then move to Doha, Singapore and Tokyo, with the final in Beijing on November 13 and 14.
The event in Dubai kicks off at 10am on both days, with the finals being contested at 6pm.
ksinclair@thenational.ae
