Chandigarh: Born Chahat Arora won another gold in swimming

Chandigarh: Chandigarh-born swimmer Chahat Arora today added another medal to her tally by winning a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke event during the ongoing 2nd National Swimming Ranking Championship in Odisha. Since Chandigarh does not have a swimming association, Chahat decided to move to Punjab in 2017. She has won several medals in national and international competitions and has also set several records. She represents Mohali in district competitions and Punjab in state competitions. The veteran swimmer clocked 33:87 seconds to secure pole position in the national competition. However, instead of representing Chandigarh, she played for Punjab in this championship. Since Chandigarh does not have a swimming association, Chahat decided to move to Punjab in 2017. She has won several medals in national and international competitions and has also set several records. She represents Mohali in district competitions and Punjab in state competitions.

Though the city has over 11 swimming pools, there is not a single Olympic-sized facility to train and groom professional swimmers. The number of government pools in Chandigarh is more than any district in Punjab or Haryana. However, there is no association affiliated to the national body to provide a platform to local talent to perform at the national level. Swimming affairs in Chandigarh are run by an ad-hoc committee appointed by the Swimming Federation of India long ago. It has the mandate to send teams for national events. Usually players are happy after winning gold medals. Chahat gets emotional whenever she is asked the reason for coming to Punjab. “It has been more than six years. There has been no change in terms of swimming in Chandigarh. The city has not produced a single swimmer at the national or international level. The reason is well known. There is no practice platform, the officials (committee) are not at all concerned about the events and there is no pool for professional swimmers. I miss representing Chandigarh,” said Chahat, who will also participate in the 100m breaststroke event in Odisha on Tuesday. Earlier, she represented Punjab University, which has a 50m Olympic-sized pool. However, the facility is operational only during summers and university swimmers are allowed to use it. “A city like Chandigarh should organise several tournaments for different age groups every month. The administration should set up gyms at swimming centres, which should be available throughout the year,” said the swimmer, who is currently training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Delhi. After the ongoing ranking meet, Chahat will participate in the Senior State Swimming Championships to be held in September.