Swimming as a sports in Assam

Swimming is one of the most participated sports in the world. In Assam it is also very popular but mainly as recreation. When I go and see hundreds of children enjoying themselves in the pool at various clubs and stadiums in Guwahati and entire Assam it seems very recreational. But in my opinion, if we take this sports with little more seriously, it can develop the standard of competitive swimming of this State.

It is important to understand for the kids as well as for their parents the importance of fitness and the element of competition that is sadly missing in most of our young swimmers.

Just look around and see how many of our sports persons indulge in swimming as a part of their fitness regimes. Our Legendary former Indian Hockey Captain Dhanraj Pillai said that he use to swim to relax and stay fit. If that alone isn’t a reason for schools to encourage swimming as a Sports then what is?

To Improve swimming as a Sports in our state one good sign is that now-a-days many of renowned schools in Assam already have swimming pool and few amongst them made swimming is a mandatory for all the students to learn during their sports activity classes.

Parents to encourage their children to swim as they know it is good for their overall development. It builds a good appetite and which father or mother doesn’t want his son or daughter to eat heartily.

Also swimming is one of the sports that every body (parents with kids, old with young) can indulge in together.

I have often seen in various swimming pool that kids racing with each other in the pool too. It may just be for fun but at least it is an encouraging factor for children to feel the thrill of winning and losing.

But it all come to end if no body takes it seriously as a sports. Eventually we are left with very few competitors in competitive level swimming in our state. This is one of the main reason why we don’t able to produce too many National and International class swimmer from our state in last couple of years. One more hindrances in developing this sports in our state is that there is no such good scope to getting job in swimming quota in this state which is very important for everyone because at the later stage everyone has to thing about their livelihood. Since we don’t have a good sports friendly environment, promising youngster give it up quite early.

I am sure all this can change with proper planning. I have been a State champion and a National and International swimmer for years and swimming has always been my first love, but I know that how difficulties and sacrifices one has to do to reach the top level in sports. In Assam there aren’t many swimming event apart from Inter district and few clubs meet. If we want to popularize and develop this sports in our state we need to provide our swimmers with more competitions. More competition means more exposure to this sports as well as it will help to highlight more and more talent from the various district of this state.

I believe that the swimming is a sports where if we work together, plan properly and move ahead we can surely able to develop swimming as a Sports in our state and in near future we will start winning medal on the National and International swimming competition as before.