Amid the pandemic, all the sporting activities across the world have come to an unprecedented halt. India, being no exception, has however managed to quell the fears and taken a step ahead by resuming the training activities in bio-secure facilities across the country in a phased manner. As the majority of the athletics have undergone a reincarnation, vulnerable sports like swimming—where there is a high risk of viral contamination— have not been resumed, leaving the elite swimmers in utter dejection. It’s not surprising that during the times when saving lives outweighs all the priorities, swimmers are left in the lurch.
Asian Games bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade said in an interview on Sunday that he might consider retiring from the sport if swimming pools continued to remain shut due to restrictions. “Might have to consider retiring from swimming. No news or communication of any sort for being able to start swimming again. Wish swimming was treated the same as other sports in India,” the swimmer said.
I don’t feel this should be the attitude of a professional sportsman. I remember seeing Michael Phelps, Ion Thorpe, or Alexander Popov swimming at the Olympics. Their character and psychological strength give them the upper hand over their contemporaries. I believe the right attitude and focus are the two key ingredients of a great athlete.
For instance, Phelps was sent to a 45-day rehab for alleged drunk-driving and over-speeding, and after coming out, he shared his experience with fans about his isolation from the sport. “I was in a really dark place,” he said. “Not wanting to be alive anymore.”
Similarly, when Alexander Popov was stabbed and the serious injury kept him away from swimming, he did not retire or threaten to do so. He chose not to attenuate the morale of other budding sportsmen. Soon after his recovery, Popov again dominated the swimming world. I would not think that Virdhawal Khade has been through such turmoil. What has worn his will out? Why is he so discouraged?
Recently a report from the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Higher Council for Scientific Research) summarised what is known about possible transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through swimming pools, wherein the researchers expound, “the use of disinfecting agents is widely implemented to avoid microbial contamination of the waters”. Further, the study mentions, “The residual concentration of the disinfecting agent present in the water should be sufficient for virus inactivation.”
However, they do not shy away from admitting that is “currently no data” regarding what happens to SARS-CoV-2 in seawater.
The uncertainty and the lack of the rudimentary research about the behaviour of coronavirus in the water give us enough reason to halt the swimming activities till the virus goes away, or till the further studies come out with the efficacious panacea.
Why set up a wrong precedent to the upcoming champions of India and put their lives at stake? We remember the Spanish flu of 1918, wherein millions of people died over a span of two excruciating years. I believe the authorities have not given the green signal to the sport keeping in mind the inadequacy of the ongoing research.
K.V. Sharma has been a National Coach for 22 years and Prof Sanjeev Sharma is Licence B holder, DSV Germany Swimming Federation.