Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Goa Tourism on Thursday officially announced support to India’s premier swimming event Swimmathon 2015 scheduled on November 29, at Colva Beach.
Swimmathon 2015 is also officially recognised by Swimming Federation of India (SFI) as the official Indian National selection trial for an international event.
Gavin Dias, deputy general manager of Goa Tourism Development Corporation made a formal announcement of Goa Tourism supporting Swimmathon 2015 at a press briefing in the presence of prominent personalities such as Nikhil Desai, managing director, GTDC; Vinay Borkar, vice president, Goa Swimming Association and Rajesh Gupta, executive director, Square Off Sports. Virdhawal Khade, India’s most accomplished and celebrated swimmer has been roped in as brand ambassador for the event.
An Arjuna Awardee, Vir holds the distinction of being the youngest Indian to qualify for the Olympics. With Vir’s eyes firmly fixed on the Olympics this year, organizers are delighted that the poster boy for Indian swimming has made time to encourage swimmers and promote the sport further.
Adding another dash of excitement to the event, Talasha Prabhu, Goa’s champion, has been roped in as the female brand ambassador. An International Ace Swimmer, Talasha holds the distinction of having participated in various National and International Championships. She was the only Goan swimmer to be selected for the Indian squad in the Common Wealth Games New Delhi in 2010.
The recognition of “Swimmathon 2015” by Swimming Federation of India (SFI) as the official national selection trial for open water swimming for International event has opened doors for Indian Open Water Swimmers with the fastest swimmer — male and female in both 5 km and 10 km race representing India in an international event.
The winners of last edition of Swimmathon qualified to represent India in the FINA World Championship held at Russia in July 2015.
With the Open Water Swimming now included in the list of sporting events for the Olympics, Swimmathon 2015, aims to encourage more swimmers to take up open-water swimming.
With 19 categories of participants including one for differently abled athletes, organisers expect a significant interest in the event. Last edition of Swimmathon saw close to 600 participants, from across the country participating in various categories. This year promises an even better turnout. The aim of “Swimmathon” is to develop Open Water Swimming as a sport in India as well as to recognize the real talent from across the nation. Association of “Swimmathon 2015” with SFI will create a perfect competent breed of International level Swimmers. Swimmathon does not only identify International level swimmers but also tries to nurture them every year.
Open water swimming poses unique challenges to the swimmers as there are no lane lines, walls or starting blocks to dictate what it takes to win. Unpredictable natural conditions often play a deciding role in determining the winner of such a race.
