TIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Jammu and Kashmir swimming team should consider themselves lucky if they manage to register a decent time in the heats, let alone win medals. Up against some big names, the four-member squad wants to better themselves rather than challenge opponents. The modest ambition — which they say would be limited to this edition — is precipitated by the fact that three out of four swimmers participating in the ongoing National Swimming Championship here train at the picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar as they don’t have a proper pool in the valley. The Dal Lake would be an apt spot for tourists who want to unwind by cruising in the placid waters surrounded by the Zabarwan ranges. But for swimmers, training in Dal is a nightmare.
They’ve to bear with a eutrophic lake — where algae grow abundantly and oxygen is reduced — inquisitive eyes and spine-chilling cold. Unlike other swimmers, this group comprising three class X boys and a graduate can only train for six months. Once the winter commences, they have to stay indoors.
Saif Ilahi, who is from Srinagar’s Rainawari, said the only option during those harsh winters is to stay indoors. “Who would want to swim at that time?” he asked. The other two — Yawar Abbas and Muzaffar Hussain — couldn’t agree more.
Satyam Gupta, who is from Jammu, is better off. He trains in a proper swimming pool — the only one in Jammu. This time, the J&K team has been vetted by the State Sports Council unlike the past several years. The team’s coach and manager Peer Mohammed Ameen said that it’s after a gap of 10 years that a legitimate squad is representing the Himalayan state, with due consent from the State Sports Council.
Otherwise, squads that were sent by the State Swimming Association were not stamped by the Sports Council which rendered the certificates gained at the Nationals useless for jobs and admissions under sports quota. Peer is one of the two qualified swimming coaches in J&K. The second person is Vikas Magotra from Jammu, who trains Satyam Gupta. “Infrastructure is in a bad shape especially in Kashmir. The issues within the association makes matters worse,” Peer said.
Despite these hiccups, Peer said, the sport is picking up. “I myself barred my sisters from swimming. But now, I am pushing my daughters to swim,” he said. J&K with abundant water bodies, Peer said, has got a bright swimming future. “People on the banks of Jhelum and other rivers have this innate knowledge of swimming. They only need support from the powers concerned,” he added. Sadly, it’s this support that has been denied to them for long.
shan.as@newindianexpress.com
No NADA on Day 1
On a day that saw five national records, conspicuous was the absence of National Anti-doping Agency watchdogs, who chose to give the first day a miss. Though the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) doesn’t make dope-testing mandatory for ratification of records, NADA’s presence would have made things more authentic. Swimming federation secretary Kamlesh Nanawati said they had informed NADA in advance. “Despite us giving prior intimation, they didn’t turn up. It’s their fault.”Sajan sinks two records
Kerala’s Sajan Prakash set national records in 200m freestyle and 200m medley. Shivani Kataria rewrote the mark in women’s 200m freestyle. Tamil Nadu’s AV Jayaveena and Delhi’s Sandeep Sejwal created national records in women’s and men’s 50m breaststroke.