The Senior National Aquatic Championship 2023 is set to begin on Sunday at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Hyderabad.
The 76th edition of the national swimming championships will feature men’s and women’s competitions in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and individual medley. The programme also includes freestyle, medley, and mixed team relays. World Aquatics has also authorised the swimming nationals as a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Indian swimmers will have one last chance to qualify for the Asian Games 2023, which will be held later this year in Hangzhou, China. Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj, India’s swimming national record holders, made history by becoming the first Indian swimmers to qualify directly for the Tokyo Olympics.
Srihari Nataraj swam in the men’s 100m backstroke while Sajan Prakash competed in the men’s 100m and 200m butterfly. Maana Patel joined the two through Universality quota in the women’s 100m backstroke, as India fielded three swimmers at the Tokyo 2020 Games, the highest at any Games.
The qualifying season for individual swimming events at the Paris 2024 Olympics began in March and will end on June 23, 2024.
