Swimmathon 2015” gets recognized by Swimming Federation of India
“Swimmathon 2015” gets recognized by Swimming Federation of India as “Indian Selection Trial”in the Open Water
Swimming Category at FINA World Championship 2015 to be held in Russia
Square Off Sports announces Swimmathon
2015 scheduled to be hosted in Goa on 22nd February 2015 & gets
official recognition by Swimming Federation of India (SFI). The formal
announcement was made by Mr. Pradeep Kumar, National Coach,
Swimming Federation of India and Ashish Agarwal, Managing Director -
Square Off Sports Pvt. Ltd. The event also saw the presence of prominent
personalities like Shaina NC, Executive World Chairperson
Giants International and Spokesperson & Treasurer, BJP Maharashtra, Rashmi
Nigam, Bollywood Actress and Meiyang Chang, Bollywood Actor, Television Host
& Singer.
Lending added credibility and athletic
prowess to the event, Virdhawal Khade
India’s most accomplished and celebrated swimmer, has been roped in as Brand
Ambassador for “Swimmathon 2015”. An
Arjuna Awardee, Virholds the
distinction of being the youngest Indian to qualify for the Olympics. A
prolific national record holder, and definitely the fastest Indian of all time
in water, Vir has consistently
delighted record keepers with his performances at national and international
events especially with his historic wins
at the Youth Commonwealth and Asian Games. Vir will also be participating in
the 250 M Dream Swim in Swimmathon 2015 as a special gesture to encourage
people to take up open sea swimming.
The Swimming Federation of India (SFI)
is the central governing body for promotion and administration of swimming as
sport in India and is also affiliated to FINA, the world governing body for the
sport. The recognition of “Swimmathon 2015” by SFI will open doors for Indian
Open Water Swimmers with the fastest swimmer - Male & Female in both 5 KM
& 10 KM race representing India in the FINA World Championships - Open
Water Event to be held at Kazan, Russia in July 2015. The event is being hosted
at Colva Beach, Goa and has also received official support from Goa Tourism.
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.
Says Ashish Agarwal, Managing Director - Square Off Sports, “As fitness
becomes a way of life, an increasing number of people are looking for
opportunities for adventure and testing their own limits. Competitions such as
these not only provide an opportunity for excellent talent from across the
state to be identified, but also an opportunity for those seeking adventure, to
experience the thrill of braving and conquering the elements.At Square Off Sports, we believe that the
Indian youth have exceptional talent and potential that can be encouraged by
giving them the right platform. We are proud to promote Open Sea Swimming in
India in association with GSA and Swimming Federation of India. It is the
newest Olympic sport and given the right attention, we are confident that India
can excel at the international level””
Open Water Swimming has also now been
included in the list of sporting events for the Olympics. “Swimmathon 2015” aims to encourage more participants to take up
open-sea swimming. With 17 categories of participants including one for
differently abled athletes, organisers expect a significant interest in the
event.
Ecstatic on the association between
Swimming Federation of India and Swimmathon 2015, Mr. Pradeep Kumar, National Coach, Swimming Federation of India said,
“We are happy to promote ‘Swimmathon 2015’ in association with Square Off
Sports, which has deep expertise in conducting events of this nature. I have
seen this property evolve over the last few years. Till last season, this event
was hosted in Mumbai at Gateway of India. This year it is hosted in Goa and has
transpired into a bigger and better property due to the consistent efforts that
the Square Off Sports team has put in nurturing this event. ‘Swimmathon 2015’
is a stepping stone for the Indian swimmers to become an International level
sports personality and represent India at FINA World Championship 2015, Russia.
I am positive that ‘Swimmathon 2015’ is a great initiative that will help
Swimming emerge as a serious sport in India and provide opportunities to all
the aspiring swimmers. Swimming Federation Of India hopes to tie up with Square
Off Sports and make this an annual event and together facilitate more such
platforms to produce swimming / sporting icons in our country”
India’s most accomplished swimmer, Arjuna
Awardee, and Asian Games medalist,Mr.
VirdhawalVikramKhade said, “Today’s generation of swimmers are really lucky
where they are getting platforms like “Swimmathon 2015” to showcase their
talent. You can compete with International Swimmers and most importantly you
can proudly represent India in FINA World Championship 2015. Swimming is not
only a sport but it also helps you to keep your heart healthy, stress out your
body, build muscle strength and helps you to maintain a healthy weight, healthy
heart and healthy mind.
Executive World Chairperson Giants
International and Spokesperson & Treasurer
Shaina NC added,“Being a part of Swimmathon since its
inception is an exhilarating journey in itself. I have seen this property grow
and it makes me really happy to see that it has reached International Level in
its 4th Season itself. Square Off Sports Team goes out of the way to
identify talent from across the nation. Open Water Swimming is still a sapling
in this country and needs nurturing.
To enhance the safety of participants,
the organisers have engaged services from Drishti Emergency Services. The
company is the largest professional run Lifeguard service and has strength of
over 600 employees having extensive experience in consultancy and disaster
management planning. They will also help the organizers with audit and risk
assessment, planning, and deployment solutions to address any emergencies
during the event. There will be medical and ambulance facilities on site and
first aid facilities on accompanying boats. For cases where immediate attention
might be needed, they have arranged for the involvement of lifeguard with
hi-speed Gemini boats, swimming experts to accompany each category, and
availability of jet-skis.
The categories for competition are as follows:
·
10K Swimmathon
o
14+ Boys & Girls
·
5K Swimmathon
o
13-17 Boys & Girls
o
17+ Men & Women
o
35+ Men & Women
o
Differently Abled Champions
·
1K Swimmathon
o
10-14 Boys & Girls
o
14+ Men & Women
·
250M Dream Swim
o
10-14 Boys & Girls
o
14+ Men & Women
