
How aquatics survives in the darkest phase
By Kalyan Ashok
It’s back to the pool for city swimmers with the Karnataka government easing COVID-19 restrictions, imposed since March 2020 on swimming pools in the state. As a result of the lockdown restrictions, pools were closed, owners lost revenue, swim centre staff lost their jobs, and swimmers were deprived of training facilities.
Arguably, no other sport suffered as much as swimming, which is a huge medal-winning discipline for Karnataka and has produced several Olympians and national-level coaches.
In conversation with News Trail, Olympian, Arjuna Awardee, and former National Champion, Nisha Millet, who is the director of Nisha Millet Swimming Academy (NMSA) speaks about the dark phase for aquatics during the Lockdown.
The excerpts:
NT: During the lockdown, what was the impact on swimming centres?
A: We incurred huge financial losses since we had to refund all summer camp fees. Pool maintenance costs were high. We had to pay staff salaries since they have to support their families. Online classes were not possible, so there was zero revenue for the academy in the lockdown months. Few pools in the city are now permanently closed. The worst part was because the government kept pools closed the longest and it gave the public the wrong impression that swimming is the most dangerous sport when in reality, it is one of the safest activities.
NT: How were the lives of staff members affected?
A: Our staff suffered a lot and so did we. As academy owners, the first time we took any kind of salary was last month, when pools reopened. All academy revenue was spent on providing staff salaries. We had exhausted all our resources for the first six months, so we set up a crowdfund and we raised money from our old students, who were eager to help the coaches. Since we didn’t get help from the government, some staffers took up jobs in Dunzo, Swiggy to supplement their income. Eventually, some staffers even pulled out their PF (provident fund).
NT: How is the academy doing now and what is your USP?
A: Our academy has built up the trust in our students over the last 18 years and we are getting very good responses to group and personal classes. The NMSA’s USP is quality over quantity. We have a 1:8 coach to student ratio. We teach in well-maintained, chlorine treated pools, many are temperature controlled so classes happen throughout the year. We give certificates on course completion and our youngest students are one year of age and oldest is 84 years. All our swim teachers have been vaccinated and we follow strict safety protocols.