Despite infra, Chandigarh swimmers fail to make splash at national level

With 12 pools in Chandigarh, the local swimming fraternity and UT Administration are facing a unique paradox — of cheer along with worry.

A recent swimming tournament organised by the UT Sports Department at the Sector 23 All-Weather Pool witnessed an ‘unexpected’ 452 entries, between Under-11 and Under-19 age groups. While the sport draws an enthusiastic response in the city, a dearth of medals at the national level is a matter of concern for the local swimming fraternity.

Swimming is ‘loved’ by many in Chandigarh, but ‘pursued’ by a few—given the stiff competition at the national level and the absence of a proper local association for the sport. The participation in the local competition was amazing, possibly due to the popularity of swimming propelled by ample infrastructure.

A total of 258 boys and 166 girls participated in the competition. The most entries were recorded in the Under-11, U-14 and U17 events as compared to the U19 category. A total of 129 entries (75 boys and 54 girls) were received in the U-11 event, while the U-14 group saw the highest 157 swimmers (86 boys and 71 girls). The U-17 event received 107 (74 boys and 33 girls) entries, while U-19 recorded 31 entries (23 boys and eight girls).

“The competition at junior level is amazing and credit goes to infrastructure for the sport. The Sports Department would have received more entries if the below 11-year age group would have been included. Notably, two events for specially abled children were also not included. The children enjoyed swimming during summer break and luckily the department conducted the meet within a month...so, many kids thought to give it a try,” said a senior functionary of the Sports Department.

A senior swimmer, seeking anonymity, added, “The sport needs attention, as numbers can be deceptive. There’s no doubt that swimmers came in good numbers for the local event, but what about trials for the national championships. In recent years, hardly 15 to 20 swimmers have turned up for the trials. This is a cause of concern instead of cheering.”

It’s not that the local swimmers have never proved their mettle at the national level, but the number of professional swimmers should have gone up with an improvement in facilities. “We have had many medallists from Chandigarh, who even won medals at international level, set records and bagged laurels. However, they ended up representing Punjab. Names like Chahat Arora have won accolades and the same holds true for many other swimmers, who were part of the Panjab University teams. Unfortunately, at present we don’t have even one name on the national circuit. With better infrastructure, the competition should have gone up,” added a senior coach, who has trained the university swimmers.

The president of Ad Hoc Swimming Committee, Chandigarh, was not available for a comment. Ironically, for many years now, no local swimming association has been formed and the ad hoc body functions under restrictions. The reason for not having a proper swimming association, like other sports, is best known to people running the affairs here.

“Earlier, there was only one pool (Sector 23) and still we had few swimmers making waves in national and international circuits. However, parents’ focus has now shifted to other sports. If an open tournament can receive such an encouraging response, holding proper state meets, coaching camps or off-season training sessions can surely bring a better outcome,” said Nandita, a parent.

Long wait for full-size pool

The 12 pools in the city are located at the Lake Sports Complex, Sector 23 (all-weather pool with nursery facilities), Manimajra complex, Sector 8, 27, 34, 38, 39, 43, 50 and 56. However, none of these meet international standard of 50m length. An Olympic-size swimming pool is 50m long and 25m wide. In January, the UT Administration had earmarked 20 acre land at the Sector 42 Sports Complex for an Olympic-size swimming pool and a multipurpose indoor sports hall.

Currently, the Sports Department has only one all-weather swimming pool. The second one is expected to come up by early next year by converting an existing facility at the Sector 39 Sports Complex into an all-weather pool. However, this will serve a little purpose for professional swimmers, as the maximum depth of the pool is 4.5ft, which is not ideal for jumping from the block. The second full-size facility is located on Panjab University Campus (open facility), along with a diving pool.