Ahmedabad : The Indian swimming team was accorded a warm send-off at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE), Ahmedabad, ahead of its participation in the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.
The send-off ceremony marked the conclusion of the Indian swimming team’s preparatory camp, conducted at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex from August 1 to September 10.
Arjuna Awardee, Olympian and Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medallist Dola Banerjee, who is also a member of the Indian Olympic Association Executive Council, joined the occasion as the Special Guest and interacted with the swimmers, encouraging them ahead of the continental Games.
The ceremony was attended by Prashant Singh, Regional Director, SAI RC Gandhinagar; Monal Chokshi, Secretary General (Swimming Federation of India); Aditi Singh, Director (SAI NCOE Ahmedabad); Kamlesh Nanavati, Vice President (SFI); Dronacharya Awardee Pradeep Kumar Sreedharan, Head Coach of the Indian swimming team; coaches and members of the Indian swimming contingent, among others.
Dola Banerjee, Special Guest, highlighted the significant improvement in sporting facilities and support systems available to Indian athletes over the years and expressed confidence in the performance of the Indian contingent. She said, “When I
used to compete, we often faced a paucity of equipment. Today, there is no such scarcity, and the performance of our athletes on the international stage is improving consistently. I have no doubt that our contingent, including our swimmers, will perform very well this time too. I wish them all the very best.” Dronacharya Awardee and Head Coach of the Indian swimming team Pradeep Kumar Sreedharan appreciated the discipline and hard work displayed by the
swimmers during the preparatory camp and expressed confidence in their performance at the Asian Games.
Speaking on the occasion, SAI Regional Director Prashant Singh assured the athletes of continued institutional support and reiterated SAI’s commitment to providing the best possible training environment and facilities to Indian athletes. Singh said, ““We are committed to providing the best possible facilities and support
to our athletes. I assure our athletes that when they return, they will find the facilities even better than they are today.”
Monal Chokshi, Secretary General, Swimming Federation of India, expressed his appreciation for SAI’s support during the preparatory camp and acknowledged the continued support extended by the Government of India towards Indian swimming. “On behalf of the Swimming Federation of India, I thank SAI Ahmedabad for all its
support and hospitality. We are also grateful to the Government of India for its consistent support”, said Choksi.
Kamlesh Nanavati, Vice President, SFI, encouraged the swimmers to remain confident, focus on their preparation and express themselves freely without coming
under pressure during competition. “The players have been very disciplined and have put in their best efforts during the camp. I have no doubt that they will give their best performance at the Games”, said Nanavati. As part of the send-off ceremony, SAI officials performed a traditional tilak ceremony for the swimmers and extended their best wishes to the team for the upcoming Asian
Games. MyBharat volunteers also joined the farewell, extending their greetings and best wishes to the athletes as they embarked on their journey to represent India. A 10-member all-male Indian swimming team has qualified for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The team is headed by Dronacharya Awardee Pradeep Kumar Sreedharan (Head Coach), with Veer Dhawal and Nataraj V as Coaches. Sean Kelly
is the Foreign Technical Consultant.
Indian Swimming Team: Akash Mani, Aneesh Kumar Gowda, Benediction Rohit, Dhakshan, Heer Gitesh, Sajan Prakash (Captain), Srihari Natraj, Utkarsh Santosh Patil, Danush Suresh and Vedaant Madhavan.
