By Nangamso Mabindla
9 January 2008

CHILDREN from some of Buffalo City's underprivileged areas were given swimming lessons by one of the Spec-Savers Ironman 70.3 top contenders this week.

Konstantin Bachor, the 23-year-old triathlete, is a member of the German national squad. He won the gruelling New Zealand Ironman 70.3 in 2007 and came fifth in event in his home country.

The coaching clinics he is hosting come out of the Eastern Cape's partnership with the German province of Lower Saxony. The director in the Office of the Executive Mayor, Vuyo Zambodla, said that the City was thrilled that through the partnership the municipality would be able to raise the national and international profile of the triathlon.

While the majority of athletes participating in Sunday's event come from South Africa, international athletes like Bachor ensured coverage from the international media.

"This is more especially as it is the first time that we are hosting the Spec-Savers Ironman 70.3 South Africa, with the intention to position ourselves as a potential 2010 team base camp and a sports tourism destination of choice both nationally and internationally," he said.

Zambodla thanked LandesSportBund, the umbrella organisation for sport in Lower Saxony, for making Bachor's participation possible.

The swimming lessons are taking place at the Joan Harrison Swimming Complex in East London. Bachor said that local children were different from those he coached in Germany.

"The first difference is language, so I need to listen carefully to them when we speak; another is that some of these youngsters' level of swimming is a bit low, but they have taken the opportunity presented to them."

Bachor said it was important for people to learn to swim when they were young. "It is very important for them to learn while they are still young because they learn very fast and are not scared of the water."

Speaking about the upcoming Ironman, Bachor said his preparations were going very well. "The wind did make it difficult for me at first but now I have come to grips with the conditions here. I have had a couple of good swims here at the Joan Harrison [pool], and I have run the course at the Esplanade a couple of times."

After participating in the inaugural Spec-Savers Ironman 70.3 on Sunday, 13 January, Bachor will hold swimming workshops in King William's Town before returning to Germany late next week.