State, national-level swimmers seek free usage of Yemmekere pool

Mahesh Kodikal is the father of three children, two of whom — 15-year-old Poorvi and 12-year-old Charvi — have won accolades in state and national level swimming events. Since the closure of Mangaluru City Corporation’s Mangala Swimming Pool five months ago, Mr. Kodikal has been spending ₹8,000 every month on training of his two daughters and his six-year-old son at the international-level swimming pool in Yemmekere in Mangaluru.

Mahesh Kodikal is the father of three children, two of whom — 15-year-old Poorvi and 12-year-old Charvi — have won accolades in state and national level swimming events. Since the closure of Mangaluru City Corporation’s Mangala Swimming Pool five months ago, Mr. Kodikal has been spending ₹8,000 every month on training of his two daughters and his six-year-old son at the international-level swimming pool in Yemmekere in Mangaluru.

“In Mangala pool, the MCC waived off pool usage charges for national and state-level medal winning swimmers and hence my daughters practiced there for free. As Mangala swimming pool is yet to start functioning following repair work, I have been paying pool charges of ₹1,000 each per month for my two daughters’ evening training session at the Yemmekere poll,” he said. A total of 30 swimming athletes pay these charges for practice at the pool, he added.

Mr. Kodikal said Yemmekere pool has been constructed by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. using the Union government’s smart city funds. “The concession given to swimming athletes at Mangala stadium should be extended at Yemmekere pool too,” he said.

Inaugurated in November 2023, the Yemmekere swimming pool complex has three pools – 10-lane 50mx25m pool, a 5-lane practice pool and a kids pool. It also has a gymnasium, rest rooms and other facilities for swimmers on the first floor. Since March, We One Aqua has been running the pool. It recently secured the lease from MSCL for the operation and maintenance of the pool for seven years. Swimmers are charged ₹3,500 per month for coaching, including ₹1,000 pool charges. General public are charged ₹100 per hour for swimming.

Shirley Rego, a veteran swimmer and mother of talented swimmers Alaister Rego and Aliyssa Rego, said many in Mangaluru and Coastal Karnataka are natural swimmers. “If pool charges are made affordable, it will allow talented young swimmers, who are good in sea and river swimming, to spend more time in the competition pool at Yemmekere and make a mark in the state and national competitions,” she said.

Ms. Rego expressed the need for the State government to invest more to develop Yemmekere pool as a Centre for Excellence in Swimming.

Deputy Director of Youth Services and Sports Pradeep D’Souza said a proposal to waive off pool charges for swimming athletes at Yemmekere pool will be shortly placed before the District Stadium Committee headed by Deputy Commissioner M.P. Mullai Muhilan.