Private Trialthon at Sukhna for 1st time; rules flouted, wrong precedent being set: officials

On Sunday morning, for more than three hours, the choppy waters of Sukhna Lake will host the Tuffman Triathlon, which is organised by a subsidiary of Tuffman India Private Limited, Delhi. The event, having received permission from
Chandigarh Sports Department, will be the first such activity to be held on Sukhna by a private entity that is not recognised by the Indian Olympics Association or the Union Sports Ministry.

The event will see participants paying Rs 12,235 to Rs 19,125 to compete in different Triathlon events — including
swimming 1.9 or 1.3 km in the open waters of the Sukhna Lake and cycling 90kms or 40 kms or 20 kms and running 21.1 km or 10 kms or five kms on Chandigarh and Mullanpur roads.

The organisers of the event have termed it as Olympic and Sprint Triathlon, despite the event having neither affiliation with the Triathlon Federation of India or Indian Olympics Association.

“The Tuffman events are not affiliated with the Triathlon Federation of India and neither the organisers have approached us to have the event affiliated. They should not allow it because conducting such events requires proper study of the venue. Kayaking and canoeing can happen, if the water condition is good. But they need to hold a proper study to figure whether the water is good for swimming or not. Safety is a major concern and if something happens, then it can bring a bad reputation to the sport,” said Aman Gupta, general secretary, Indian Triathlon Federation.

The lake at present has been witnessing trials being conducted in it by the Punjab Rowing Association (affiliated with Rowing Federation of India) for the upcoming National Games.

As per details, the last time the lake witnessed an open water swimming event was way back in the 1990s, conducted by the Giani Zail Singh Institute of Adventure and Water Sports, a government body. As per Chandigarh Sports Department’s website, private parties can hire UT’s stadiums or sports complexes for events, but there is no mention of Sukhna Lake being up for rent.

The UT sports department website only mentions hiring of indoor swimming facilities by government recognised federations or private entities with no mention of swimming in open waters of the Sukhna Lake.

“The last time Sukhna Lake saw open water swimming was for a competition held by a government-run adventure institute. But in later years, we have never seen open water swimming. We can understand if this was being done to promote a sport. But this event was allowed on Sukhna Lake purely to make money. If such private entities are allowed, then the public will also ask for permission to swim in the lake one day. Will that be safe?” asked
Gurcharan Singh, a former swimming coach of Panjab University.

Chandigarh Rowing Federation secretary Rajiv Sharma, too, believed that permission should not have been given to a private company. “Chandigarh Rowing Federation as well Punjab Rowing Federations are recognised bodies and have their training centres at the lake. But granting permission to such private companies, who are charging in excess of Rs 12,000 for the Triathlon, is not proper. Who will be responsible for the safety of participants in monsoons? If this is set as a precedent, then other private bodies or persons too can approach the UT Administration for open water swimming or swimming in the lake for fun,” said Sharma.

Newly-appointed director of sports, Sanyam Garg, said that permission was sought by the organisers of the Tuffman Trialthon last month. “As such, there is no rule dictating that Sukhna Lake cannot be handed over to private parties.

They had applied for permission that a single person will do the swimming, followed by others . The permission was given prior to my appointment. They are paying a fee for using the venue, like you do in case of grounds,” said Sanyam Garg, UT director of sports.

Jay Mangla, an official of Tuffman India Private limited, said “Sukhna Lake is the most iconic place in Chandigarh and hence the best start point for the Triathlon event. We are not in touch with the Indian Triathlon Federation since there have a different set of rules regarding age categories. We did not get our event affiliated with them.
Around 125 participants will compete in the event, with 80 people swimming in Sukhna Lake. The UT Administration will be providing us with motor boats and life guards.”