The Tunisian Swimming Federation (FTN) said it has met all its financial commitments to Olympic champion Ayoub Hafnaoui, guaranteeing him all the attributes of success for the forthcoming events, in particular the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. "Hafnaoui's success is the result of a meticulous strategic plan initiated by the FTN to develop young talents capable of flying the national flag at major international events," the national swimming federation noted. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, FTN president Hédi Ben Hassan said: "Tunisian swimming is one of the most promising sports in Tunisia and, despite financial and infrastructural difficulties, it has been able to bring credit to Tunisian sport, as Hafnaoui's performances at Olympic and international level testify. Hafnaoui will have another opportunity to prove his worth at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Ben Hassan added that the FTN is keen to provide all the necessary conditions for the swimmer's preparation by honouring all its financial commitments with regard to the budget allocated to the logistical aspect of the preparation. Hédi Ben Hassan also announced that he had made a provisional reservation for the final training camp that Hafnaoui will attend two weeks before the Olympics. He noted that the administrative procedures for transferring money abroad take a relatively long time, which has led to tensions between the athlete and the FTN, despite the efforts made in this regard. As for the federation's strategic plan to promote the discipline, the official said that his organisation had set up a national Olympic support centre, headed by Coach Sami Achour, which operates according to international standards. The centre has promising young talents such as Rami Rahmouni (14), who holds some 34 records, and African champions Ahmed Jaouadi and Belhassan Ben Miled (18) who are working to follow in Hafnaoui's footsteps.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse