The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) is finally sharpening its focus on making coaches aware of the best practices to adopt while resuming training of swimmers after a six-month gap. Ideally, of course, SFI should have sensitised coaches, swimmers and parents of swimmers quite some time ago.
Yet, as the old saying goes, it is better late than never.
“In the coming weeks, we have planned to hold virtual interactive sessions with experts who will explain the micro-level precautions that can be followed while adhering to the guidelines issued by the Ministry (of Youth Affairs and Sports),” SFI Secretary-General Monal Chokshi said in an official release.
It is possible that this move to educate coaches has come after the Sports Authority of India stepped in to monitor the workload of swimmers who were sent to train in Dubai for two months. And that itself could have been the result of the growing risk of injury to a swimmer/s owing to over-training.
There is lesson to be had in the way the Athletics Federation of India’s High-Performance team, led by Volker Hermann, has carefully planned the return of its elite athletes to track and field. Neeraj Chopra and Tajinderpal Singh Toor are good examples of athletes who did not get familiar with the javelin and the shot for nearly two months after lockdown was lifted.
It will be interesting, therefore, to see the line-up of experts that SFI will get to bring coaches and coaching centres in India up to speed. With SAI asking the Dubai-based National Coach to send regular reports on the workload given to and progress of swimmers in the camp, it is evident that coaches are not the best suited to decide on the way back for swimmers in the pool.
Hopefully, the experts invited for these sessions will also educate SFI President RN Jayaprakash in the art of scheduling competitions for athletes returning from long spells of inactivity. It was alarming to read him being quoted as saying that SFI might conduct junior nationals in November end or December.
You can read the New Indian Express report but here are his key statements that set the alarm bells ringing, overtime.
“It is now more of a challenge than good news to keep the swimmers, coaches and support staff safe,” he told The New Indian Express on the day the Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced the reopening of swimming pools for competitive swimmers from October 15 as part of the Unlock 5 protocols.
Worse, he indicated that SFI was planning to stage the National Championships for seniors, juniors and sub-juniors back to back after the second or third week of November if the pandemic situation gets better. “Probably, we will give the swimmers a month’s time and see whether we can host the nationals after Deepavali in November,” he said.
Wonder who was advising the SFI President that competitions can resume in 2020 itself, barely weeks after swimmers get familiar with pool waters after six months. Clearly, there has been no conversation with sports physiologists or high-performance managers. In their eagerness to resume competitions, SFI officials could be putting careers at risk.
Be that as it may, the SFI release today also said that in anticipation of the release of the SOP SFI and its State units have been in touch with the State governments for resuming training of swimmers from October 15. Clearly, some States have placed greater emphasis on overall health of society than in allowing the reopening of swimming pools for competitive athletes.
