Bhubaneswar: Budding swimmers and the sport of swimming are about to face oblivion in Orissa with the state sports and youth affairs ministry taking the decision to close down the main swimming pool and the diving pool at the Kalinga Stadium here. Parts of both pools will be broken to set up extra galleries to accommodate more spectators for the FIH World Hockey League Finals in December this year and the Hockey World Cup in 2018 November-December. Officially all activities were closed Wednesday onwards at the swimming pool complex.
Even though, officials of the state sports department are trying to downplay the development, the crux of the matter is that huge amounts invested in constructing the pools will be lost due to such a decision. The swimming and diving pools were set up at a cost of approximately Rs 10 crore in 2004 and 2008 respectively. To destroy them and rebuilt them again would definitely incur double the expenses of what was done close to a decade ago.
State sports secretary Vishal Dev however, rubbished claims that the swimming pools are being closed down permanently. “This is just a temporary arrangement, the setting up of spectator stands for the hockey tournament,” Dev said over the phone late Wednesday evening. “We will reopen the pools five-six months later with better facilities… we are in no way closing the door on the swimmers,” he asserted. However, he was vague when asked about the plans of resurrecting the pools.
Sources stated that destroying the present set up and rebuilding them again would incur a minimum cost of Rs 25 crore. The question is why such a huge amount will be wasted and where will it come from.
The Orissa Swimming Association is currently run by a five-member ad-hoc committee most of whom are based in Sambalpur. One ad-hoc committee member said from Sambalpur over phone that the association would be sending a protest letter to the state sports ministry with copies marked to the sports minister Chandra Sarathi Behera and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “What else can we do,” said Dilawar Hossain, who is the convener of the ad-hoc committee from Sambalpur.
When Surendra Nayak, the pool in-charge at the Kalinga Stadium was contacted he initially refused to talk. After much persuasion he said, “I got the notice from the sports and youth affairs ministry Tuesday to stop all activities from today (Wednesday onwards). Rest I can’t say anything and I am not the pool in-charge.” He also revealed that no alternative arrangement has been put in place for the swimmers. 
More vehement in his protest was international medal-winner Pratyasha’s father Rajat Ray. “My daughter is in a state of shock,” Rajat said. “She has no option but to quit the sport. Where will she train, can the state sports department make arrangement for her training or for those 40-50 Sports Hostel swimmers? Swimmers in Orissa are suffering simply because the Orissa Swimming Association is virtually non-existent. It has enabled the state sports department to take decisions arbitrarily,” he added with anger and frustration marking his voice.
The capacity of the hockey stadium currently is 6,000 which the sports department wants to increase to 20,000. The sports department is setting a target to increase it to 20,000 for the Hockey World Cup in 2018.
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