Three Indian swimmers were granted dispensation by the Sports Authority of India to leave the country and train in Dubai.
Pools in India have been closed for months, putting stress on the nation’s Olympic hopefuls. But three swimmers – sprinter Virdhawal Khade, backstroker Srihari Nataraj and distance swimmer Kushagra Rawat – can leave the country to train for two months starting in September at Dubai’s Aqua Nation Swimming Academy.
That stint could be extended if pools don’t reopen in India. The trio will train with former Indian national team coach Pradeep Kumar, who works at the academy.
It ends a long and tense stalemate between the swimmers, all of whom have Olympic B cuts, and the Sports Authority of India. Khade had escalated the conflict in June, threatening to retire if facilities didn’t open for training. While some training facilities have reopened, pools in the country remained mostly closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The camp has been approved for two months at a cost of around 35 lakh (around $4.1 million),” Sports Authority of India said in a statement Saturday. “… This decision was taken in lieu of the current prevailing situation as swimming pools in India are not yet accessible as a safety measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic had halted the training of India’s swimmers since March 2020. The training in Dubai will allow athletes to practice and improve their timing to Olympic A Qualification mark.”
Nataraj, who spoke to the Hindustan Times, expressed his gratitude to the Sports Authority of India. He’s been out of the water since March, and he’s uncertain what a return to training will be like.
“I have never been out of the pool for so long,” he said. “I don’t know how it is going to affect me once I get into the pool. But I should get back to shape in a month and a half. We don’t know when the tournament will start but need to get three four months before we can compete.”
India has six swimmers with Olympic B cuts, according to the Hindustan Times. Of them, Sajan Prakash is training in Thailand, while Aryan Makhija and Adavit Page are in the United States.