Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 28 (ANI): The prestigious 11th Asian Aquatics Championships was officially declared open by the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, here on Sunday, as the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex brimmed with excitement and anticipation of over 1,100 participants from across 29 countries.
The 14-day event will see swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming events being held here in Ahmedabad, which is rapidly gaining the reputation of being the sports hub of India, as per a release from the Swimming Federation of India.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel said, "Under the leadership of Narendrabhai Modi, the National Sports Policy has been formulated that will help India's youth and rural athletes advance. It is heartening to see that Indian athletes are not only participating in Asian-level and world-level events, but they are also winning medals, and I wish all the participants the very best."
The opening ceremony witnessed an electrifying light and sound show, followed by a dance performance representing the diversity of all the states and their cultures in India. There was also an enticing audio-visual setting, the stage for an exhilarating competition for the next two weeks.
Welcoming the contingent from 29 countries, Harsh Sanghavi, minister of sports and youth services, Govt of Gujarat, said: "This championship is a very important milestone in our journey towards a bigger dream. A dream enshrined by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi to host the 2036 Olympic Games. This event is a very important competition that will bring success to that dream."
He further added that the government has left no stone unturned in hosting an event of this magnitude in Ahmedabad, which will draw the attention of the sporting world.
"We have made our best efforts to organise this event. I wish all participants experience Gujarat's rich cultural heritage throughout this Navratri season, Garba. We can witness the world's longest dance, which will be a great festival amidst the tournament pressure," he added.
With the biggest Asian event now being hosted in the country, the President of the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) further emphasised their keenness to bring the FINA World Aquatics Championships to India in the near future.
He said, "At this moment, I take the privilege of requesting the Hon'ble Chief Minister for a similar 50m pool with a spectator capacity of 10,000 for hosting the FINA World Aquatics Championships in this city. If we get that stadium, we would be able to successfully bid for those Championships, which is the second most prestigious event after the Olympic Games." (ANI)