National swimmers and their parents take a sigh of relief as the Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) announced that the Junior National Open and Age Group Swimming Championship will take place in October, at its annual schedule, instead of August 7.

The national championship for juniors and age groups regularly takes place in October; however, this year, the schedule change took the swimmers and their parents by surprise when the PSF declared that the championship would take place months earlier than expected.

It was initially announced to take place on July 10. However, after objection from the parents of the young athletes from the Sindh swimming teams (boys and girls) and the Pakistan Navy swimming team through a letter signed by more than 40 parents on June 3,to PSF CEO and Chairman Major (R) Majid Waseem, the dates were reconsidered and given out for August.

Later, though, the parents and the Navy team again expressed concerns on June 11 through another letter that the swimmers would not be able to train for the championship in time despite the change of dates to August. It was emphasised that the students would either be preparing or taking exams or will be abroad on vacation.

The parents were demanding a more inclusive approach as they wanted their children to be in the best shape at the championships and trials to select the swimmers for international participation.

"Many swimmers are currently in the middle of their academic examinations/CAIEs since April 2025 which extend well into June, hence they have not been training due to their hectic academic commitments," the letter to PSF CEO said.

"Several children are also abroad for vacations or are enrolled in scheduled international training programs that were planned months in advance.

"While we fully understand the need to conduct early trials and meet deadlines for selecting swimmers aiming to participate in upcoming international competitions, holding the entire and much-anticipated National Age Group Swimming Championships this early would be disadvantagous for the age group swimmers.

The protests finally bore fruit and the latest PSF decision to shift the dates to October have resolved the issue amicably.

"I am happy with the way the Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) has addressed this issue. The decision to hold the National Championships in October is a positive step for the sport, as it will give athletes ample time to prepare and compete at their peak performance levels," the father of three national junior swimmers Rehan Malik told The Express Tribune.

His 16-year-old daughter, who got done with her exams in June, and 14-year-old son, who has been representing Sindh like his older sister, and the youngest daughter, 12-year-old are all set to participate in the championship like many other junior swimmers.

Meanwhile, the PSF sent out the notification of the change to the parents was," to inform all swimmers/parents and the coaches that the Junior National Open and Age Group Swimming Championship, which was to be held from 7-11th August, has been postponed to October due to some reasons. The championship will now be held tentatively during the first/second week of October 2025 in Islamabad or Lahore (subject to availability of the swimming pool). The final dates will be conveyed to everyone soon. All participants should continue their training. The coaches should prepare their teams and work hard for the Championship trophy."

The Express Tribune reached out to the PSF for an explanation for the reasons, they replied on June 18, stating the reason for postponement to be the parents' request.

Following the change in dates, Malik and others have sent another letter to PSF on June 17 to show their gratitude on the decision.

"We, the parents of the Sindh swimming teams and the Pakistan Navy swimming team, would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your positive response and for considering our request to reschedule the National Swimming Championships to October 2025.