A batch of twenty swimmers have been selected by the Tanzania Swimming Association (TSA) to represent the country at the forthcoming East and Central Africa championship to be held in Uganda later this month.

TSA technical director Marcelino Ngalioma said the swimmers were selected after compliance with the time trials set by the association over the weekend.

He said two top swimmers from each category were selected to join the Kampala-bound trip.

The selected swimmers are expected to join a week-long camping starting from mid this month at International School of Tanganyika (IST) Upanga campus under coach Ramadhani Namkoveka .

He said the technical committee has recalled former national team swimmer Hilal Hilal after his impressive performance at the weekend tryouts.

Ngalioma named the selected swimmers as Sonia Tumiotto, Talin Stengel, Marcel Awori, Rishi Somaiya, Nella Marais, Angenie Taylor, Agnes Kimimba, Shamrad Magesveran, Erick Mlima, Danielle Awori, Iyas Shivji, Patrick Kimimba and Shreyashi Chowdhury .

Others are Godfrey Masishanga, Philipo Sagareti, Omari Abdallah, Ali Bamba from Zanzibar, Hilal Hilal, Adam Kitululu and Nduruma Majembe.

He could not say when the team will leave the country for the games which are scheduled to start from October 22.

Marcelino said he is optimistic that the team will perform well in Uganda. Swimmers have been in trouble to secure permission from the ministry following selection crisis.

So far the swimmers have missed world championships staged in Shanghai in July and the just ended All Africa Games that ended in Maputo last month.

With London Olympics just around the corner, the plight of swimmers is still at crossroads if the swimming body has not reached a ceasefire with the parent ministry.