Kolkata, Sep 29 — The 66th All India Railway Aquatic Championship 2026-27, organised by the Eastern Railway Sports Association (ERSA), began on Tuesday at the Eastern Railway (ER) Swimming Pool Complex in Gholeshapur, Behala, Kolkata.
The championship will continue till October 3, 2026, featuring competitions in swimming, diving and water polo.
Gitika Pandey, General Manager, Eastern Railway, inaugurated the championship in the presence of senior officials and eminent sportspersons.
Eastern Railway has recently hosted the All India Railways Athletics Championship in Kolkata.
Welcoming the participating teams, sportspersons and officials, the General Manager expressed happiness at Eastern Railway hosting the prestigious championship once again. The event was last held in Kolkata in 2022-23.
She noted that the state-of-the-art swimming pool complex at Gholeshapur had been meticulously prepared with modern facilities to provide a high-quality sporting environment for swimmers, divers and water polo players.
Extending her best wishes to all participating sportspersons and officials, Pandey expressed hope that they would have an enjoyable and memorable stay in Kolkata during the championship.
Pandey also felicitated eminent sportspersons, including L. Bombayla Devi, Sebastian Xavier, Soma Biswas, Saraswati Saha, Ali Qamar, Akbar Ali Mir, Aron D’Souza, Saurav Swarnakar, Rabin Boldey, Sanket Shinde and Rashmi Sharma, in recognition of their contributions and achievements in sports.
Teams from Northern Railway, North Eastern Railway, North Central Railway, East Coast Railway, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Western Railway, Central Railway, Southern Railway and Eastern Railway, along with teams from Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) and the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), are participating in the championship.
A total of 192 sportspersons from 12 teams are competing in various events of swimming, diving and water polo.
Around 50 officials and technical personnel will perform duties to ensure the championship runs smoothly.
The swimming complex at Behala is considered one of the finest facilities of its kind in the city.
It comprises an Olympic-sized pool and other training facilities. The complex is open to sportspersons, not just Railways employees.
Members of the general public can also use the pool after due registration and payment of the prescribed fee.
Expert trainers are available to assist users at the pool, which has a uniform depth of seven feet.
The Railways have contributed significantly to the sport by supporting leading swimmers such as Sandeep Sejwal and Sajan Prakash.
Sejwal was a medallist at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Prakash was the first Indian swimmer to achieve a direct Olympic ‘A’ qualification mark.
Other prominent Railway swimmers include Arunoday Banerjee, Supriya Mondal, Emil Rabinsingh and Pawan Gupta.
ER Chief Public Relations Officer Shibram Majhi said aquatic sports hold a uniquely significant place in the world of sports as they test endurance, speed, power, precision and coordination.
He added that ERSA was making every effort to ensure that the 66th All India Railway Aquatic Championship 2026-27 is conducted successfully and becomes a memorable sporting event for all participants.