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Sports Minister Inaugurates 1st BIMSTEC Aquatics Championship in Delhi
The inauguration of the 2024 Aquatics Championships, a first-time event, was officiated by Union Minister for Youth Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur. The inaugural 1st BIMSTEC Aquatics Championships is taking place at the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Swimming Pool Complex in Delhi from February 6 to 9. The competition features events in Swimming, Water Polo, and Diving exclusively for participants under the age of 20.
A total of 39 medals will be given out across three sporting events along with a total of 9 trophies that will be at stake. Over 500 personnel are expected at the events, including 268 athletes from various BIMSTEC member countries. Along with the Sports Minister, the opening ceremony was also attended by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Nepal Dig Bahadur Limbu and Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General, BIMSTEC High Commissioners & Ambassadors to India of BIMSTEC among dignitaries from visiting countries and the government of India.
"World's 25% population lives in South Asia and Southeast Asian reason and with the coming together of 7 BIMSTEC countries, the Bay of Bengal area not only becomes a region used for travel and transportation but also becomes an area of progress, development and collaboration which will help in not only deeper friendship but also building a deeper sporting culture which will help deepen even friendship between athletes and that is exactly the thought that our honourable Prime Minister envisioned when he announced this sporting event at the summit in Nepal", the Sports Minister said.
BIMSTEC, short for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, serves as a distinctive bridge connecting South and Southeast Asian nations. It comprises five South Asian members—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka—and two Southeast Asian members, namely Myanmar and Thailand.
For the first time in its history, the organization is hosting a sports competition, and India has been chosen as the host country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement during the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in 2018, declaring the organization of the Youth Water Sports competition in India. Originally planned for 2021, the event was postponed to 2024 due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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