A 14-year-old district-level swimmer died on Sunday after he became unwell while practising in the Velachery Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) swimming pool for an upcoming sports meet.
The boy, S. Srivatsan, residing in Chitalapakkam, was studying Class XI in a private school in East Tambaram. He had been taking part in district-level tournaments.
“All these years he was practising in Tambaram, and it was two days ago that he enrolled with us as he had to prepare for an upcoming State-level competition this month. He had shown us his district certificates,” said a senior official from the SDAT, requesting anonymity.
On Sunday, he reached the swimming pool around 6 a.m. with his father Sridhar. “He was practising in one lane and his father was present in the pool. All of a sudden he came out complaining of back pain. He was immediately rushed by car to the nearest hospital, but he died on the way,” the official added.
‘Good student’
The Guindy police have registered a case. A relative of the victim said Mr. Sridhar has a daughter. “Their mother died six months ago. He [boy] was good in academics,” he said.
The SDAT official said that they had four life guards around the swimming pool at any time. “There are a total of eight life guards and they work on a shift basis,” the official added.
