JOIN USSwimmers who turned up for a final training session ahead of the 70th Glenmark Senior National Aquatic Championships at the Veer Budhu Bhagat Aquatic Stadium here were in for a shock on Friday. The water in two of the three pools at the facility was green in colour, while the third one bore an even worse look.
According to officials, the filtration plant at the stadium was not functioning. What was even worse was the callous approach adopted by the Jharkhand Swimming Association (JSA) and the Swimming Federation of India (SFI).
“This can’t be an excuse. It’s the Senior National meet and the authorities should have sorted the problem well in advance,” said a swimmer.
The last time the facility hosted a swimming meet of any kind was five years ago in 2011.
In fact, it had a double bonanza then as the 2011 National Games was followed by the Senior National Aquatic Championships later that year. But since then it has been lying idle with not even the State meets being held here.
“It’s been five years since the pool here saw any action. So this was bound to happen,” said Kamlesh Nanavati, general secretary of SFI.
“And even though the meet was allotted to the Jharkhand federation six months in advance, nothing seems to have been done about this problem.
“But now my primary concern is to get the pool back to competing standard. Rest can be addressed later,” he added assuring that the pool will be ready in time for the heats on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the organising secretary SK Tiwari could not come up with a reason behind the water turning green.