CHENNAI: When Tamil Nadu’s best swimmers, across different age groups, sauntered into the SDAT Aquatic Complex at Velachery earlier this week for the state aquatic championship, they were likely to have been surprised by what they saw: the venue sporting a revamped look. The starting blocks at the swimming pool had been replaced, new floodlights had been installed, the flooring of the badminton court had been turned into synthetic from a previously wooden surface and the mats at the spick and span gymnastics hall were now gleaming new.
The sprawling venue is one of the premier swimming arenas in the city, with state meets being held there, annually, for the past two decades and more. The swimming facility, which can accommodate around 4,500 spectators, was built in 1995 for the South Asian Games that took place in the city that year. While there was customary maintenance work being done from time to time, repair and renovation on a large scale such as this had never taken place.
The decision to refurbish the venue was taken in February 2021. It was sparked by a visit that the additional chief secretary and member secretary of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) made around that time. They inspected the facilities and suggested that repair work was in order. “The complex was built almost three decades ago. So there was a lot of damage. The equipment too had suffered damages. They saw everything and asked us to correct these things,” says G Premkumar, stadium officer at Aquatic Complex.
While the second wave of Covid and the resultant lockdown hampered their plans of starting work immediately, Premkumar and his staff got down to business as soon as the restrictions were eased. “Due to the lockdown, we couldn’t start work immediately. We were able to start work only in June. We have replaced a lot of things and repaired the stuff that needed to be repaired. Apart from working on the badminton court, swimming pool and the gymnastics hall, we have also bought new equipment for the fitness centre,” says the 57-year-old, who took charge as stadium officer two years ago.
Premkumar reveals that they have had to shell out around Rs 50-Rs 60 lakh for the renovation work. “The cost will be borne by SDAT. We are also building a small room near the gymnastics hall for the gymnasts to change clothes, etc. We have completed most of the work,” the former Army officer informs. Even before the renovation, the aquatic centre had been one of the best facilities in the country, opines Tamil Nadu State Aquatic Association (TNSAA) secretary T Chandrasekaran. “I have travelled to different cities for swimming nationals and other meets. The venue in Chennai is among the best,” he asserts.