The National Swimming Championships are set to feature four international events -- men's 800m freestyle, women's 1500m freestyle, mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, and mixed 4x100m medley relay -- for the first time when the Max Group 34th Swimming, Diving, and Water Polo Championships begin on Monday at the National Swimming Complex in Mirpur.

In addition to these new swimming events, the diving competition will also include women's events for the first time, with female divers competing in three categories.

Bangladesh Swimming Federation General Secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shahin disclosed the details at a press conference held at the Bangladesh Olympic Association conference room on Sunday.

With the inclusion of the new events, a total of 42 swimming events -- 20 each for men and women and two mixed -- will be held over the four-day meet. The diving competition will feature six events, three each for men and women, while water polo will have a single event.

Despite the introduction of new disciplines, the championships will continue to rely on manual timing, as the electronic timing system -- installed in 2019 at a cost of Tk 4 crore -- remains broken.

"We are going to award Tk 5,000 for each new record, while gold, silver, and bronze medalists will receive Tk 2,000, Tk 1,000, and Tk 500 respectively for the first time," said Shahin, adding that the overall expenditure for the championships has risen to Tk 42 lakh.

Max Group will contribute Tk 25 lakh, with the federation arranging the remaining amount to cover additional expenses.

The federation is also hopeful of improved performances from national swimmers in this edition, especially after the appointment of Egyptian coach Saeed Magdy in mid-July to prepare for the upcoming South Asian Games.