The Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in collaboration with The Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in association with Paralympic Committee of India & Sports Authority of Goa will organise the 24th National Para Swimming Championships 2024, from October 19 to 22 at Campal Swimming Pool complex, Panaji.
While the day saw swimmers from all over the country arrive and get classified according to their impairments, the opening ceremony will be held on Sunday at 4pm while the competitions take the centre stage in the morning. Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant will declare the championship open alongside Sports Minister Govind Gaude, Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai among others.
The para swimming nationals will see a record number of 518 participants competing in the championship from across 28 participating states. The number of participants this year has surpassed the previous edition record of 464 para swimmers, informed the organisers at a press conference today. The competition will be held across three categories, sub junior, junior and senior; while S1 to S14 classifications being done.
To ensure fairness to participants, para swimmers are classified with S-1 class corresponding to the most severe types of disability. Physical disabilities of para swimmers include single or multiple limb loss, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, dwarfism, and disabilities which impair the use of joints.
Visually impaired swimmers are allocated to categories S-11, S-12, or S-13. Category S-11 corresponds to totally blind swimmers, while competitors in category S-13 have severe, but not total visual impairment. Swimmers with mental disabilities compete in category S-14.
Four para-swimmers from Goa will be participating. International para swimmer from Maharashtra, Suyash Jadhav will be a major attraction at the championship, which will see Paris Paralympics medallists Navdeep Singh and Praveen Kumar gracing the inaugural at 4pm on Sunday.
The Closing Ceremony and Prize Distribution function to be held on 22nd October.
