BY RICHARD MENANOPO
The National Sports Council (NSC) says Solomon Islands swimming and aquatic sports development stands to benefit from valuable regional exposure gained by Aquatics Manager, Cindy Aungarima during the recent Oceania Swimming Championships and aquatic development program in Fiji.
Aungarima travelled with the Solomon Islands swimming team to Fiji earlier this month as the team’s technical official, where she also took part in officiating duties, coaching clinics and technical development courses conducted alongside the regional championships from May 7 to 20.
The regional program brought together coaches, officials and aquatic sport representatives from across the Pacific with the aim to improve technical expertise and officiate standards and competition management throughout the region.
During the Oceania Swimming Championships, Aungarima played several important officiating roles in both pool and open water events.
Among her key appointments was serving as Chief Referee for the women’s 10-kilometre open water race, while also carrying out duties as Chief Judge and Chief Timekeeper during the competition.
The NSC Aquatics Manager said the experience provided an important opportunity to observe and better understand how international aquatic competitions are conducted.
“It was also an important opportunity to observe and understand advanced timing systems and compare them with those used during regional qualifying competitions, including the Oceania Swimming Championships,” Aungarima said.
Apart from officiating responsibilities, she also gained hands-on experience in electronic timing systems, scoreboard integration and results management using the Hy-Tek Meet Manager software commonly used in international swimming events.
Aungarima said the technical seminars and coaching clinics were equally valuable in strengthening her knowledge and understanding of modern aquatic sport development.
“The coaching clinic and technical seminars provided valuable exposure to modern coaching methods, athlete development pathways, competition management, and international officiating standards.
“The training strengthened my understanding of race officiating procedures, athlete safety requirements, and the importance of technical accuracy in delivering high-quality competitions. It also enhanced my knowledge of electronic timing systems and results management operations,” she said.
She added that the experience gained in Fiji will contribute positively towards the future development of swimming and aquatic sports in Solomon Islands.
“This experience will directly benefit swimming development in Solomon Islands, particularly in improving officiating capacity, coaching practices, and event management ahead of future national competitions, including the Solomon Games,” Aungarima said.
She further highlighted that the knowledge acquired during the regional attachment can be shared with local coaches, officials and athletes to help improve the standard of both pool and open water swimming competitions in the country.
According to NSC, Aungarima’s involvement reflects the organisation’s ongoing commitment to strengthen technical expertise within local sport administration and to build stronger officiating and coaching pathways for future athletes.
Reflecting on her overall experience, Aungarima described working alongside experienced international officials in a high-performance environment as one of the major highlights of the trip.
“Professionally, it strengthened my confidence and technical ability. Personally, it was inspiring to see the level of collaboration across Pacific aquatic sports,” she said.
Solomon Islands swimming continues to gradually expand through support programs coordinated by the National Sports Council and national sporting bodies.
Participation in regional competitions such as the Oceania Swimming Championships has become increasingly important in helping local athletes, coaches and officials gain international exposure and technical experience ahead of future Pacific and national events, including the upcoming Solomon Games.
Photo credit: NSC
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