Swim Maldives hosted an island-to-island 5.2KM long distance swimming event from Kurumba Maldives Resort to the capital city Male’, on 14th December. Kurumba Maldives is the first private resort to open on the paradisiacal island getaway of Maldives. The event boasted over 37 participants, among which were swimmers from the Maldives Lifeguard Association, Kurumba Maldives as well as former and current national team swimmers.
Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed also attended the event, shaking hands and extending his congratulations to all the participants and organizers present. Addressing the leading members of the initiative, the tourism minister stated that the sport of recreational swimming may be utilized to help promote the tourism industry, mentioning the possibility of future collaborations.
Prominent lawyer and Founder of Swim Maldives Hussain Shameem described the warm waters of Maldives as possessing a year-round competitive swimming advantage, noting that in countries such as Australia and Canada, swimmers enjoy only a few months of temperate waters for training.
According to The Edition, Shameem revealed Swim Maldives’ plans to host an upcoming open-water swimming event, dubbed the ‘Biosphere Swim’. Set to take place within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Baa Atoll, during the first few weeks of February 2019, participants will begin their journey from Eydhafushi, heading northbound to Kendhoo. The island-to-island swimming event aims to cover a total of 23 islands in a span of 10 days. Swimmers are expected to cover distances of approximately 5-7 kilometers a day while conducting awareness sessions during their stopovers.
Established in 2017, Swim Maldives is an organization of swimmers that actively promotes open water swimming in the Maldives. The organization aims to both explore the oceans and spread awareness about protecting the environment. Swim Maldives plans to regularly host monthly long-distance swim events, that will place across the Maldivian archipelago.
