This report is part of WTOP’s coverage of Black History Month. Read more stories on WTOP.com.
Swimmers from across the country will travel to the District this weekend for an event that happens every year during Black History Month. And this year, for the first time, spectators can cheer on athletes while watching virtually.
The 35th Annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet is of one of the longest-running minority swim meets in the world.
The event was started in 1987 by a group of lifeguards and coaches with the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation, and is now recognized by USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming, as the “premier minority swim competition in the United States and the world.”
Through Sunday, 40 teams of swimmers ages 5 to 18 will come from as far as Ohio and New York to compete at the Wilson Aquatic Center, in Northwest.
“One of the hallmarks of the event is it’s loud and energetic,” said Rob Green, DPR’s competitive swimming programs manager and the head coach for the DC Waves swim team.
He said the meet is a necessary space for minority swimmers: “A meet like this where so many of the coaches, athletes, officials are people of color — it really does feel like you are home. You don’t feel like an outsider.”
In the past, Olympians and world class athletes have been in attendance. “They’ve sacrificed a lot to be here. Your support out there watching them really does mean a lot,” Green said.
You can watch live on their site.
