The First Labuan International Swimming Championship was successfully organised by Labuan International School on 19 and 20 November 2016 with 318 swimmers from the Borneo region participating in this championship!

There were 20 swimming teams representing Labuan, Sabah, Sarawak,West Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines. The teams arrived in Labuan on 18 November for this first-ever international meet organised by the school since its swimming pool launched earlier this year. The turn-out rate was very encouraging!

The championship started at 8am on 19 November and ended at 2pm on 20 November with 150 events and the total of 270 heats conducted within that time. This championship was supported by LabuanFSA, followed by Gold sponsors: TOS Logistic and Shipping Sdn Bhd, Mariner Hotel Labuan, Aewon Garment & Embroidery, and Thirteen K Trading Sdn Bhd. Other contributors were: Alpha Testing Services Sdn Bhd, Shermadef, CIMB Bank Berhad Labuan Offshore branch, AMS Trust Company Limited, Labuan Liberty Port Management, Fast Global Link Services Sdn Bhd, and Anonymous Art. The organiser would like to acknowledge and thank the sponsors, LIS staff, parents, students, officials, and volunteers who made this event successful.

Labuan International School, as the host, bagged two Golds, nine Silvers, and 13 Bronzes. This is the first time the swimming team participated in an international meet since the swimming team was established this year under Head Swimming Coach Clement David. These result is very significant and meaningful for the young swimmers.

This article was originally published in The Expat magazine (January 2017) which is available online or in print via a free subscription.