PRNewswire
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 25: For the primary time ever, Team India can be representing the nation on the World Apnea Pool Championship in Budapest beginning June 2, 2026. This is a significant milestone for the expansion of freediving in India. This second additionally is available in the identical yr the Freediving Association of India (FAI) was fashioned by Archana Sankaranarayanan, an 11-time nationwide document holder. Earlier this yr, FAI turned an Observer Member of AIDA International as AIDA India, giving Indian freedivers official illustration on the international stage.
Under AIDA India, three athletes will symbolize India on the 2026 World Apnea Pool Championship:
– Archana Thiagarajan – India’s main freediver, holding all nationwide information in each pool and depth disciplines, and the primary Indian to compete at a World Championship in Wakayama, Japan (2025).- Akshay Thatte – India’s first Freediving Instructor Trainer, main pool freediver and four-time nationwide document holder.- Vachan H U – Advocate, nationwide document holder, and the primary athlete to compete formally beneath AIDA India.Along with the athletes, Archana Sankaranarayanan has been chosen as the primary Indian Assistant Judge on the World Championship. She will return to Duna Arena in Budapest in a brand new role–not as an athlete, however as an official decide. She beforehand competed at this similar venue throughout the 2024 nOxyCup, the place she set a nationwide document for India.
Speaking about her journey, Archana Sankaranarayanan, Founder, FAI, mentioned: ‘It’s been a troublesome but rewarding journey. Competing was one half, however constructing the game, creating programs, and rising the freediving group in India has been a very new expertise.’
This yr additionally highlights sturdy assist from the Indian diving group, with three homegrown manufacturers supporting Team India. Surface Interval has offered efficiency merchandise, Stay Salty Club has supported with ocean-inspired enamel pins, and AZEN has contributed embroidered post-dive ponchos.
As Team India prepares for this historic championship, Archana Sankaranarayanan can be highlighting the work of Manjhi, an NGO co-founded by Kashina Kareem and led with Shivani Sharma, which works with girls and adolescent ladies to construct management and combat gender-based violence and inequality. Her reference to Manjhi started throughout the GP Birla Fellowship for Women Leaders, which performed a key function in shaping her journey in constructing AIDA India.
2026 is shaping as much as be a landmark yr for freediving in India, and the crew hopes this second will deliver extra consciousness and participation for the game within the nation.
About Freediving Association of India:
Freediving is a water sport that entails diving underwater on a single breath, with out the usage of respiration equipment reminiscent of scuba gear. The Freediving Association of India is the official nationwide physique for Freediving in India and is devoted to the event and promotion of freediving in India. Established with the imaginative and prescient of making a structured, clear, and athlete-focused ecosystem. As an observing member of AIDA International, the affiliation goals to organise nationwide competitions, facilitate athlete participation in worldwide occasions, and nurture expertise to symbolize India on the world stage.
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