Barpeta: The district-level swimming trial for Khel Maharan 2.0 in Assam‘s Barpeta district was successfully held on Thursday.
The event saw the participation of around 100 swimmers from different parts of the district, out of which 22 have been selected to represent Barpeta in forthcoming zonal competitions in Bongaigaon.
Notably, the swimmers were able to post respectable timings despite not having access to a swimming pool to prepare for the event.
The trials were held in two categories – Under-14 and Under-17 for backstroke and freestyle.
The swimming pool at the Kaladia Banani resort in Balapara, Bajali, served as the venue.
Many of the kids who turned up for the event were coached at the Bluestar Physical Academy, which takes pride in teaching swimming to rural kids.
“The kids did well in the trials through their sheer determination,” said Saminul Islam, a coach at the academy.
“If we are able to train them properly for around 10 days, they are likely to go on and perform splendidly well in the state-level competition,” he said.
According to the coach, the students have mostly learned swimming by watching videos on the video-sharing website YouTube.
The trials took place under the watchful gaze of Dhruba Jyoti Deka, District Sports Officer, Barpeta, Rana Pratap Saikia, District Information & Public Relations Officer, Barpeta, Physical Instructors, and other stakeholders.
The officials present at the meeting commended the participants on posting good timings despite the odds and encouraged them to make the district proud in the ensuing rounds of the competition.
The district is also gearing up to host the district-level competition of Khel Maharan 2.0 featuring 1,040 participants on February 3, 4, and 5.
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So far, over 25,000 people have taken part in the games in Barpeta alone.
The Assam government’s Khel Maharan flagship event aims to bridge the gap between rural talent and the wider world of sports.
