Neglecting swimming has reached an excruciating level in India
Swimming pools and complexes have been shut down since March
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'Might have to consider retiring from swimming. No news or communication of any sort for being able to start swimming again. Wish swimming was treated the same as other sports in India' - Virdhawal Khare.
Desperate times need desperate measures, but we cannot push athletes to an annoying level. If winning more medals at the Olympics set the parameter for the greatness of a sporting nation, we ought to buckle up to achieve an equal footing with other powerhouses in the near future. Leaving aside the mother of all disciplines – athletics, which offers maximum honours in its kitty, we tend to overlook the treasure which closely follows the track and field. Yes, I am talking about swimming - which alone accounts for 37 of the 339 medals on offer at the Tokyo Olympics - a weightage of almost 10% of the entire event. Phew! But, sadly India is yet to unearth the potential from the swimming pool to such an extent that the representation of the contingent in the discipline at the world’s biggest sporting spectacle gets unnoticed.
Any layman would scratch its head, while the more knowledgeable might struggle to name a few that have kept the nation alive in the aquatics department. Even though we are not so humble inside continental boundaries, with regular medals at the Asiad, the picture is dreadful once the global event arises. Still the question arises - are we doing enough for the sports? Looking at the current situation of the athletes during the lockdown, I’m afraid my tone would sing along the negative. So, where are we lacking?
The lockdown has been hard to get over with, irrespective of trade, but we all yearn to get back on track someday or at least possess a similar mindset. The job is tougher for the athletes especially, where exercises and drills are quintessential to maintain shape when there’s no competitive activity around. For a strenuous discipline like swimming, not flapping inside the pool for a few months - the magnitude of the loss can be grave. Even though the government has given a nod to many others, swimming has not only been deprived of the privilege but mostly turned a deaf ear to hear out suggestions for the same.
Swimming complexes and pools have been locked ever since the lockdown was imposed in March, with no trace of when the water would be splashed again. Unlock 1.0, which came in as a sigh of relief, which allowed the opening of restaurants, non-essential shops, public transport, and even sports facilities were given a go-ahead, but swimming pools were overlooked. Many of the National Sports Federations (NSFs) were given approval for resumption based on their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The situation hasn’t improved by an inch from a swimming perspective, with Unlock 2.0 in place across the country, while many of the NSFs are on the brink of kick-starting national camps.Â
In spite of several requests from the Swimming Federation of India (SFI), the Home Ministry hasn't paid any heed, which has, unfortunately, prompted India’s Virdhawal Khade to quit the sport if the case remains unchanged. If that’s the case, well, there’s something not cooking right.Â
Virdhawal Khade is one of India's elite swimmers © Getty“Might have to consider retiring from swimming. No news or communication of any sorts for being able to start swimming again. Wish swimming was treated the same as other sports in India,” said a dejected Virdhawal Khade.
“Almost 3 months since the swimmers in India entered the pool. If other competitive athletes can follow social distancing while training, competitive swimmers can do the same as well. I hope other Olympic swimming prospects don’t consider retiring because of this,” added the athlete.
Even if we take away the negligence factor for a while and delve into the safety concerns, this being in the midst of a pandemic, the swimmers might still have an argument. If the general notion goes that the water in the pool might spread the Covid-19 virus, there’s a catch that might not be visible to the naked eye. In fact, the chlorine inside the water kills the virus, or negates any of such kind, while proper filtration process also acts similarly. That swimming has already resumed in various parts of the globe, is irksome for the Indians waiting to dive into the water.
“Swimming apparently is the safest sport to continue right now, because the tests done in the USA have claimed that the virus cannot transmit through the water in the swimming pool. It dies because of the chlorine and the filtration plans we keep planning on. I think (it is because) of the knowledge that government does not have regarding how the virus reacts in the swimming pool, they should look at other federations also, in USA, Dubai, Thailand - they have started training because of the fact the virus does not transmit inside the pool and dies off due to the chlorine in the water,” said Sandeep Sejwal, during an exclusive chat with SportsCafe.
Well, it’s not only the swimming pool we’re concerned about. There will be footfalls inside the complex, the changing rooms, the administrators, all of it, which just increases the threat of contamination. But, there are ways to avert the danger. There are proper guidelines to be followed inside the area of action to ensure safety, including social distancing norms and sanitization of the place. The crux of the matter lies in the fact that we can create a bio-secure environment inside complexes itself.
Sandeep Sejwal (extreme right) won the Bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke event at the 2014 Asian Games © Gett“Social distancing has to be taken care of, the sanitisation of the whole place, the changing rooms used by swimmers - that needs to be sanitised. There are a lot of precautions which can be taken, that are possible, I’m not saying that’s impossible. It is very possible to take precautions to start training, but somehow it’s not happening,” added Sandeep, an Asian Games medallist.Â
So, we clearly have a blueprint, then what’s stopping us?
As per reports, guidelines and SOPs have been put in place and sent in for approval to the Home Ministry by the SFI. Sadly, there hasn’t been any response from the other side, which has been intolerable to a troublesome extent. For instance, Sajan Prakash, stuck in Phuket, has already started training along with his Spanish coach, with their government easing restrictions in the country. Needless to say, they do have guidelines and protocols in place but have executed them, to say the least. And being aware of the fact that there isn’t a single case of Covid-19 transmission inside a swimming pool - might vex those stationed inside the country. So, how long can the authorities keep mum?
“Every single guideline and SOP have been put into place at the national level and state level, the problem is with the Ministry of Home Affairs, they are not allowing us to proceed till date. Every time we’ve tried to contact the Sports Ministry, they give the same response and as I can't understand, they are unable to understand between recreational swimming and training for a competition and that’s why the Indian swimmers are suffering while the rest of the world have started training,” said Nihar Ameen, a coach and an influential figure in Indian swimming, during a chat with SportsCafe.
So, the conclusion boils down to a case of wrongdoing, where the less prominent discipline, which might not be a potential medal contender has been omitted from the focus altogether. Yes, disciplines like shooting, boxing or even badminton are collectively India’s forte, but the myopic vision kills India’s aim of establishing itself as one of the frontrunners globally. With Indian Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju targeting a top 10 finish at the 2028 Olympics or even after that, the laxity towards swimming is a direct contradiction.Â
