Representative picture -- File photo. Mumbai: Swimmers from Maharashtra including Virdhawal Khade would take part in the annual Arabian sea swimming competition from Sunk Rock to Gateway of India on January 5 next year and the event has attracted more than 450 swimmers.
"The race is restricted to swimmers of Maharashtra. It's the 55th year we are conducting it", said the state swimming association's secretary Kishore Vaidya at the media conference today to announce the "Square Off Mumbai Swimathon".
State's star swimmer Khade, who brought India a medal - bronze - at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou after a gap of 24 years and did not take part in the 2012 London Olympics for which he had qualified, said the race provided a good platform for Maharashtra's young swimmers to catch the eye.
"It has a huge history and I am honoured to be a part of it," said event brand ambassador Khade who clinched the 50m butterfly stroke bronze in the Asiad in China, the first medal for the country in the pan-Asian sports extravaganza after Khazan Singh's silver in the 200m fly at Seoul in 1986.
"We had revived the race last year after it was stopped in 2008 in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack," said Vaidya.
The organisers will give away prizes in cash and kind worth around ten lakh, it was announced.
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