Annamay Pierse to lead Canada's swimming squad at Commonwealth Games in New Delhi
Canada’s swimming squad at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi will comprise of 27 strong swimmers and will be headed by 200 metre breaststroke record holder Annamay Pierse. If all goes according to plan, the Games will run from the 4th to the
13th of October in India.
The Canadian squad houses 15 women swimmers. Brent Hayden, the former world champion and the second best swimmer in the 100 metre freestyle events of this season will also be part of the strong Canadian squad.
The selection of the Canadian swimming team for the Commonwealth Games was based on the athletes’ performances and techniques displayed in the recent Pan Pacific Championships and the 2010 IPC Paralympic Swimming Championship.
Team leader Annamay Pierse claimed that participation in the Commonwealth Games is important if the squad wants to perform in the London Olympic 2012. While talking to the media after the final selection in Ottawa, the record holder claimed that she always
wanted to go to India, represent Canada and win. She also said that she was very excited that she will be swimming against some of the best swimmers of the world.
On the other hand, National coach and Chief Executive of Swimming Canada, Pierre Lafontaine said that he is also looking forward to the Games and is expecting his team to perform in New Delhi. He also added that he was excited to see swimmers from around
the globe perform in India which will give a lot of exposure to the local swimmers as well.
The coach is very proud of his team, particularly after its performances at the Pan Pacific Championships and the IPC World Championships, where a number of Canadian swimmers won medals. He further said that those who could not make it to the podium had
only lost by a very small margin. Lafontaine said that Canada’s swimming team is re-emerging as a strong squad and it will prove its worth at the Commonwealth Games. The team members believe that they are all set to take over the field at Delhi. Canada’s Chef
de Mission Martha Deacon said that he is looking forward to see his team repeat the successes in New Delhi as well. Martha said that he is expecting the Canadian athletes to replicate their performances at the Pan Pacific Championships and the IPC Worlds in
India as well.
The Canadian Swimming squad will arrive in Delhi on the 30th of September. The pool competitions of the Games will start from the 4th of October. Before arriving in Delhi, the team will be staying in Singapore for an 8 day staging camp.
The Canadian team table tennis squad for the Commonwealth Games consists of eight members which will be headed by Olympians Pradeeban Peter Paul and Mo Zhang. Both of these Olympic Champions have previously represented Canada in the Commonwealth Games that
took place in Melbourne. The athletes are ready to make their country and fans proud of them once again. The Director General of Table Tennis Canada, Tony Kiesenhofer said that these young athletes will learn a lot about table tennis through these Commonwealth
Games since they will be playing with some of the best table tennis players of the world. He also said that if they win at the Games, it will be a world class experience for them.
The swimming team of Canada will have to face a challenging competition from the swimming team of England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. All these nations are working very hard for the Commonwealth Games since this the most significant event before
the London Olympics 2012.
Most of the delegates of over 71 participating nations have already arrived in Delhi. The athletes and Missions of these countries were staying at different hotels before they were moved to the Games Village, constructed especially for the Commonwealth Games
at the banks of the Yamuna River. The Commonwealth Games are taking place in a third world country for the first time and the hosting of the Games has attracted intense criticism within the country.
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