TURA, Sept 1: The 2nd District Level Inter-School Games witnessed an encouraging response from young swimmers as the swimming discipline was conducted at the Tura Swimming Pool Complex, Rongkhon, on Tuesday, bringing together students from 14 schools across the district.
Swimming is one of the disciplines included in the district-level inter-school games, with competitions organised for Under-14 and Under-17 boys and girls. According to the West Garo Hills District Swimming Association, this is the first time an inter-school swimming competition has been organised on such a scale in the district, marking an important step towards promoting swimming among school students.
Speaking about the response, Sengrak D. Marak, Vice President of the West Garo Hills District Swimming Association, said the association had initially expected only around 20 to 25 participants. However, the response exceeded expectations, with 20 girls and 33 boys taking part in the competition.
A total of 14 schools participated in the swimming discipline, with students accompanied by their respective teachers-in-charge. Despite the large number of participants and multiple events being conducted, the competition was completed without any reported injuries.
Marak explained that the organisers had initially planned to include 25-metre, 50-metre and 100-metre events, keeping in mind that the competition was being conducted primarily for school students who were participating at the grassroots level.
The swimming events included disciplines such as freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke. However, the organisers faced some limitations as many of the participating students had not received formal swimming training, particularly in the butterfly event. As a result, some participants could not take part in certain categories, and some events had fewer entries.
This was also one of the reasons the swimming competition, which was originally scheduled to continue until September 3, was completed in a single day, with the finals also being held on Tuesday.
Marak said the association plans to continue encouraging young students to take up swimming and provide them with opportunities to develop their skills.
He recalled that the association had previously attempted to organise swimming competitions for students and had also issued notices for an Inter-Mahari Swimming Competition, but the response at that time was limited. He also highlighted the visit of the Meghalaya Swimming Association for diving trials as another effort to identify and develop swimming talent.
One of the encouraging success stories from the local swimming community is Rakrak A. Sangma, who received training at the Tura swimming pool and was subsequently selected to represent Meghalaya. Marak said a swimmer from the A’chik community is also set to represent Meghalaya at the national level, while efforts are being made to provide regular swimming training to students.
The winners in the various events were awarded first, second and third positions wherever applicable. However, in some events, participants were disqualified, resulting in only first and second positions being recorded.
The medals and certificates for the participants and winners are scheduled to be presented during the closing ceremony on September 3.
Additionally, Jasper P. Marak, President of the West Garo Hills District Swimming Association, described the inclusion of swimming in the 2nd District Level Inter-School Games as a positive initiative and welcomed the strong participation from students.
He said he had not expected such a large number of students to participate, adding that the response demonstrated the growing interest in swimming among young people in the district.
According to Jasper, the District Swimming Association is working hard to promote and develop the sport and to build a stronger swimming culture in West Garo Hills.
He also encouraged students who have an interest in swimming to visit the Tura Swimming Pool, where experienced swimmers can help beginners learn the basics and understand the fundamentals of the sport.
The strong turnout at this year’s competition has given the association further encouragement to promote swimming at the school level. With 53 young swimmers from 14 schools taking part, the event has provided an important platform for discovering new talent and giving students their first experience of organised competitive swimming.
The successful conduct of the swimming discipline has also highlighted the potential for swimming to grow further in the district, provided young participants are given regular training, proper guidance and more opportunities to compete.
