The Swimming Federation of India has canceled the holding of the 74th Senior National Aquatics Championships because of ongoing complications related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The national championships in swimming, diving, and water polo were scheduled to be held from March 24th-27th, 2021 in Rajkot, Gujarat, India.
In announcing the cancelation, the federation cited information from 16 regions that reported that swimming pools are still not open in their states, meaning that swimmers have not in a pool in the last 12 months. India has 29 states and 8 union territories.
The federation also cited an increase in the number of COVID cases in the state. The states of Rajasthan, Madhya, Pradesh, and Maharashtra have imposed new travel restrictions to Gujarat.
In totality, the federation’s leaders said concluded that the “majority of state units are finding it difficult to send their teams for participation in Swimming at the National event.”
India ranks 2nd in the world in total reported coronavirus cases (11,246,380) and 4th in deaths (157,985). Per capita, India ranks in the low 100s globally in both categories.
India sent a pair of swimmers to the 2016 Olympic Games via universality entries. Sajan Prakash finished 28th in the men’s 200 fly in 1:59.37, while Shivani Kataria finished 41st in the women’s 200 free in 2:09.30.
