SELVARAJ PREMA Likith

General
TIME ABROAD
While training in the pool at age 15, he was spotted by a swimming coach from South Africa. He was offered sponsorship, and the following year he went to South Africa. "I was very anxious. I had never been around foreign people before, and coming from a small family, I didn't know what to expect. Having said that, I was really excited and went without any expectations. I was really grateful to my parents for letting me leave the country. My friends and family were pleased and supportive but the coaches were not, they thought I was abandoning them. But my parents knew it would be the best opportunity for me. In South Africa, everyone there wanted to pursue swimming as a career and achieve a medal - the swimmers and the coaches made it possible." (themagic5, 16 Jun 2022)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He has studied for a master's degree in strategic leadership and design at the University of Indianapolis in the United States of America. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2021)

TIMING ALLEGATIONS
In April 2021 he made allegations of timing fraud after competing at the Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships, where he was attempting to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. He protested against what he claimed were timing irregularities in events featuring Uzbekistani swimmers by refusing to leave the blocks for the 200m breaststroke race. He later released a video outlining his claims, which included race footage and results sheets. In July 2021 FINA announced that results from two race meets organised by the Uzbekistan Swimming Federation, including the 2021 Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships, would not be authorised. An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] by the Uzbekistan Swimming Federation was rejected. "I protested against it because I love the sport. This is what I've been doing for the last 18 years. I train by myself. I train alone. Every day I have to look for pool space to train in. I really love the sport and I want to do something for the sport. When I saw this happening, it was very, very frustrating for me and very heartbreaking. What am I training for? What am I working for? If people are going to the Olympics so easy, why am I even training for this and working so hard?" (eurosport, 16 Jul 2021; reuters, 14 Jul 2021; espn, 12 Jul 2021; swimmingworldmagazine, 24 Apr 2021)