 A memorable experience for the little ones, as the sub-region stop swimmers made a splash at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre in St Lucia for the 30th OECS swimming championship held on the weekend. The event has not only made the competitive watermark but has also made a significant contribution to the island's hospitality sector. Well, this is a great example of sports tourism. There's 400 persons in St Lucia, swimmers and family and relatives, so it means that the rental companies for vehicles are smiling right now, it means the hotels, these individuals are smiling. As a matter of fact, in my conversation with the president of the St Lucia Aquatic Federation, Eddie Hazel, a few nights ago, they were scrambling to find additional Airbnbs for persons who are in St Lucia for the swimming event and so the benefits are there. With limited air transport within the sub-region, ELIF and accommodation for teams posed a serious challenge for the St Lucia Aquatics Federation. As a major post-COVID event, the swimming championships not only generated high interest but would inevitably come at a cost. In our discussions with the Ministry of Tourism, St Lucia Tourist Board and all the stakeholders, they are now requesting from us a two-year application to send to them if we have to host any games. Now we're still in the forefront of hosting Carifter, but now we have to make the application to all the hotels, all the guest houses, all the Airbnbs, two years in advance to actually book rooms because it was a real eye-opener and it was a real challenge for us to do so. The atmosphere at the event, though competitive, proved exciting and fun for parents, coaches and kids who were not camera shy as they danced to music and cheered the teams. I believe swimming, they have a culture of parental involvement and I really want that emulated in other sports and so you would see a bumper crowd at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre featuring parents and family relatives of the swimmers and the support Team Antigua and Barbuda eventually emerged as winners of the 30th OECS Swimming Championships and are set to host the event next year in the Twin Island Nation. Marvin St. Louis reporting from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports.