JOIN USThe Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre, one of the premier swimming centres in the country, on Tuesday unveiled the programme for the Republic Day baton relay which will formally kick-start its silver jubilee celebrations.
The baton relay, which will be attended by most of its past and present award-winning swimmers as well as some of the decorated athletes of the State, will be held on the morning of January 26 (Thursday).
“As you all are aware, BAC will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year — an important milestone for a club that has prided itself in churning out top swimmers consistently,” said BAC president N R Jagdale after unveiling the steel triangular torch that has the Indian tricolour glued across the borders.
“While 25 years calls for celebration, it is also time to do something important so that another generation of people can cherish the club in the best manner possible. As a result, we’ve decided to renovate the centre and the baton relay will be the first of the fund raising events.
“The total cost of constructing a gallery and the 10-lane pool amounts to Rs 6 crore. While the BBMP has offered to construct the gallery — which amounts to Rs 3 crore — we need to find ways to pool in the remaining budget. As a result, we’ve lined up a year of activities that will help us raise funds,” added Jagdale.
BAC had plans to host the Senior National Championship this year but Jagdale said they have dropped the idea. “We need to dedicate our complete time and resources to the project. Conducting a National meet requires one to spend a lot of time, and at the moment we don’t have it. So we’ve planned to back out from staging the event.”
Jagdale also said the renovated facility will have an in house education system to help swimmers train and study.