Visa delays ahead of important tournaments have become a regular occurrence in recent times. Now, some of the country’s top swimmers, including four Asian Games probables, are on the brink of a delayed start or could completely miss the season’s first meet due to visa issues.
National record holder Srihari Natraj, Rohit Benedicton, Anish Gowda, along with promising swimmers Aditya Dinesh and Anand A.S., are still waiting for their Singapore visas, as the rest of the Indian team has already begun acclimatization.
Over 40 Indian swimmers, including a 15-member Asian Games probable team, are set to compete at the Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships 2026 from March 17-22 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.
“Six people from our team haven’t received their visas. Four swimmers, one physio and a coach. We were supposed to leave on Friday (March 13), but everyone’s visa was delayed a little more than usual,” Srihari told Read on Saturday.
“Surprisingly, my mom’s visa came at about 7:50 pm, a day before we were supposed to depart,” the 25-year-old said.
Srihari, along with some other members, was scheduled to take the 11:50 am flight on March 14. With his events lined up from March 17, he is now rethinking his plans.
“I’ll decide about rebooking depending on whether it still makes sense for me to go. My first event is on Tuesday (March 17), and if the visa arrives on Monday, I’ll have to go straight to the pool without proper sleep. So I’ll have to take a call on whether it’s worth going once the visa arrives,” he said.
Srihari has entered five events, including the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, along with the 50m and 100m freestyle.
The Singapore meet is one of the qualification events ahead of the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Indian swimmers had last competed at the Asian Aquatics Championships 2025 in Ahmedabad in September-October, where they won a total of 13 medals (four silver and nine bronze). Srihari’s haul of seven medals was one of the standout performances.
“This meet was supposed to be my first tournament of the season. Competitions like this usually give us clarity about what changes are needed in training, especially when we’re trying to get closer to Asian Games or Commonwealth Games medal timings,” the two-time Olympian said.
“I’m someone who usually competes a lot, but in India, we don’t always get pushed in races. There’s a backstroker faster than me in this meet, and another swimmer from Chinese Taipei as well. It would have been a good opportunity to race against stronger competition. Also, I wouldn’t want my next competition to be directly in May after a six-month gap from my last meet,” he added.
The current situation in the Middle East has made the Dubai Open, the next important meet, an unviable option for the swimmers. Their next options now include the Malaysian Open in April and the Senior National Championships in May.
“I personally do not prefer racing in Malaysia. It’s hot and humid, and I tend to struggle in those conditions. Once, I even ended up with bleeding fingers while putting on a racing suit. But if Malaysia ends up being the only viable option, then I might still compete there if I miss the Singapore tournament,” he added.
(Update: National record holder Srihari Natraj received his Singapore visa after initial delays.)
Rohit Benedicton hopeful
Meanwhile, Rohit Benedicton, the first Indian male swimmer to clock sub-24 seconds in the 50m butterfly, is still hopeful of receiving his visa in time as his events begin only on March 18.
“It’s disappointing because we had trained with this competition in mind. Singapore was planned to help us understand where we stand at this stage of the season and identify areas we need to improve. That would have given us enough time to make corrections before the Senior Nationals, which will be crucial for Asian Games and Commonwealth Games selections,” Rohit said.
“I’m still hoping the visa comes through. I might still be able to travel because my events (50 freestyle, 50 butterfly) are on the last few days of the meet,” he added.
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