National Swimming Development Program

National Swimming Development Program Missions National Swimming Development Program

About the Program

The National Swimming Development Programme (NSDP) is our flagship initiative aimed at a comprehensive long-term athlete pathway, engineered to systematically discover, cultivate, and propel swimming talent from foundational community engagement and latent potential at the grassroots to podium-ready performances at continental, world, and Olympic/Paralympic competitions. Built upon a holistic development model, the NSDP integrates cutting-edge sports science, elite coaching methodologies, and comprehensive athlete welfare to foster not only competitive excellence but also the resilience, discipline, and leadership essential for success in and out of the pool. Our ultimate mission is to establish a sustainable, world-class ecosystem for aquatic sports in India, creating a consistent and powerful pipeline of national champions.

Upcoming Event Upcoming Event

STAIRS Winter Swimming Championship 2026

The STAIRS Winter Swimming Championship 2026 is a two-day national-level open swimming competition designed to provide young swimmers with structured competitive exposure and a fair platform to perform, improve, and be identified for future growth.

This championship focuses on grassroots swimming development, especially for swimmers who have limited access to regular, well-organised competitive events. Through standardised race formats and age-appropriate categories, the event aims to establish clear performance benchmarks while identifying emerging talent with long-term podium potential.

The competition will be conducted in a supportive, inclusive, and professionally managed environment that encourages participation from both experienced swimmers and promising newcomers. Beyond medals and times, the championship serves as a talent identification platform, helping to create a stronger, more sustainable pipeline for Indian swimming.

By bringing young athletes together at a national level, the event strengthens the foundation of competitive swimming, promoting discipline, confidence, and early exposure.

the Team

Shri Rajkumar

Senior Vice President of the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) Mentor, STAIRS National Swimming Development Program

Shri Rajkumar is the Senior Vice President of the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) and a respected leader in Indian aquatic sports, known for his strong administrative acumen and deep commitment to grassroots development. He recently joined STAIRS Foundation (Society for Transformation, Inclusion and Recognition through Sports) as a Mentor, strengthening STAIRS’ mission to build a stronger, more inclusive pipeline for young sporting talent across the country.

With a clear focus on bridging the gap between local potential and elite performance, Shri Rajkumar champions structured athlete pathways that combine scientific training, competition exposure, and improved infrastructure. His work supports the long-term goal of elevating India’s swimming ecosystem—by identifying and nurturing promising young swimmers early, and helping them progress toward national excellence and international benchmarks, including the Olympics.

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1 SWIMMING

Swimming is a full-body aquatic sport that combines speed, endurance, and technique across four competitive strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly) and individual medley. As one of the most medal-intensive Olympic sports with 51 events 153 Medal, swimming offers India significant podium opportunities if developed systematically.

Swimming And the Olympics

Swimming is one of the oldest Olympic sports, having featured at every modern Olympic Games since Athens 1896. Women began competing at the Stockholm 1912 edition, and the mixed medley relays made their Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Swimming Standing In India

India has made gradual progress in competitive swimming, with athletes like Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj, and Virdhawal Khade breaking barriers, yet we still lag significantly in global rankings, with no Indian swimmer having qualified for Olympic finals in recent decades. Swimming in India faces unique challenges including limited 50m pool accessibility, late athlete specialization (typically 12-14 years versus 6-8 in top swimming nations), and inadequate sports science integration. Despite these barriers, our best performances remain far from Olympic medal standards, highlighting the urgent need for systematic intervention to bridge this performance gap and unlock India’s vast untapped swimming potential.

India's Swimming in Olympic Medal History

Since date , India has won zero Olympic medals in swimming. Our best Olympic performance remains Srihari Nataraj’s 2021 Tokyo Olympics participation in 100m backstroke, where he achieved a respectable time but missed the semifinals. Historically, Indian swimmers have struggled to breach the FINA A-Cut qualification times required for medal contention.