Age-Group Swimming Championships start Saturday

The 38th National Age-Group Swimming Championships will begin on Saturday at the Syed Nazrul Islam Swimming Complex in Mirpur, with around 550 swimmers set to compete in 100 events across five age categories.

The Bangladesh Swimming Federation (BSF) has decided to use birth registration certificates to verify the ages of participants instead of the medical tests used in previous editions.

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"Many swimmers faced discrimination due to the medical tests. That's why we have decided to determine their ages through birth registration certificates," BSF general secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shain said at a press conference on Thursday.

Shain also announced cash prizes of Tk 3,000, Tk 2,000, and Tk 1,000 for the gold, silver, and bronze medallists, respectively. The BSF has allocated an estimated budget of approximately Tk 41 crore for the three-day competition.

Responding to a question, Shain said swimmers' timings would be recorded manually as the electronic timing board is yet to be repaired.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Islam will inaugurate the championships as the chief guest, while BSF president and Bangladesh Navy chief Admiral M Nazmul Hasan will attend as the special guest.