Kenya Aquatics have bid to host the first-ever African Masters Swimming Championship later in the year.
The federation, led by president Maureen Owiti, tabled their documents during the Bureau meeting at the recently concluded XVI Africa Aquatics Swimming and Open Water Championships in Luanda, Angola.
Owiti observed the country hosted the inaugural edition of the Kenya Aquatic Masters Championship at Sabis School, which was a big success and was keen to host the African event.
“It's a growing concept in a country, where we have swimmers aged over 25 and the event we had in March was successful.
"I believe with the goodwill of all our stakeholders, we can host the continental event later in the year should we be given the green light,” noted Owiti.
Newly elected Africa Aquatics president Mohammed Diop said they are keen to have the event considering the strides made by Europe and Asia for hosting the event biennially.
At the same time, World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam expressed his appreciation for the advancements in swimming across the continent.
He also encouraged African aquatics leaders to expand their focus to include other disciplines such as water polo, diving and artistic swimming.
Reaffirming World Aquatics' commitment, Al Musallam emphasised the organisation’s intention to partner with African nations to foster the development of swimming to march other continents.
Elsewhere, Ridhwan Abubakar clinched a silver medal at the Vienna International meeting, setting a new national record in the process. Abubakar from Bandari Swimming Club, clocked 4:05.65 to win the 400m freestyle.
He surpassed his previous Kenyan record of 4:06.44 set earlier this year during the World Swimming Championships in Doha.
The 22-year-old's performance not only earned him a spot on the podium but also boosted his World Aquatic points from 712 to 719.
The significant rise in points propels him to the forefront of the Olympic qualification rankings.
Speaking from Vienna, Abubakar expressed his gratitude and excitement over his achievements.
"I'm thrilled to have improved my time and to win a silver medal in a competitive and World Aquatics-sanctioned meet.
"Every race is a step forward and today's performance is a testament to the hard work we've been putting in," he said.
His coach, Farkry Mansoor alongside the Kenya Aquatics stakeholders also praised Ridhwan's dedication and strategic improvements in his training regimen.
