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.

The three swimmers are Virdhawal Khade (50m freestyle), Srihari Nataraj (100m backstroke), Kushagra Rawat (400m freestyle) and they will train at Dubai’s Aqua Nation Swimming Academy. All three swimmers have breached the B qualification mark for the Olympics.

This decision 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 training in Dubai will allow athletes to practise and improve their timing to "Olympic Qualification mark- A Time". The covid-19 pandemic had halted the training of India’s swimmers since March 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced an unprecedented postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Games which were originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 this year, the Tokyo Olympics will now be held from July 23 to August 8 in 2021.