Olympic probable swimmers to resume training in Dubai: SAI

India's fastest swimmer, Virdhawal Khade will resume his training along with other Olympic probables in Dubai. Three Indian Olympic probable swimmers Virdhawal Khade, Srihari Nataraj and Kushagra Rawat will resume their training early next month in Dubai after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sports Authority of India said on Saturday. “Sports Authority of India has approved two months training for three Olympic probable swimmers who will be accompanied with a coach at a cost of around 35 lakhs ahead of next year’s Tokyo Olympics,” SAI said in a release. The SAI said the decision to allow the swimmers to train in Dubai was taken “in lieu of the current prevailing situation as swimming pools in India are not yet accessible as a safety measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” The 19-year-old Nataraj, who achieved the ‘B’ qualification mark last year in the 100m backstroke event with a national record 54.69sec, needs to bring his timing down to 53.85 seconds to be sure of a Tokyo Olympics spot. Three other swimmers - Sajan Prakash, Aryan Makhija and Advait Page - have also achieved the ‘B’ qualification mark in their respective events for the Olympics and are aiming for the ‘A’ standard.