Diving — Step-by-Step Roadmap
The whole Diving journey, 0 to 100, in order: the four stages from a local club to the international level, who can start, the detailed route with trials and selection rules, what is open at every age, where to train, who pays, and the jobs and money after. Every step is taken from the same official sources as the main Diving guide.
Zero to podium — the four stages
Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [12][13]
Age rule and anti-doping
- LA28 divers must be born on or before 31 December 2014. World Aquatics counts age as at 31 December of the competition year. [2][1]
- Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [6]
From the pool to the platform
The diving ladder [10][7][4]
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Learn at a diving pool | Safe entries, then springboard, then platform |
| 2. Junior National Aquatics (Diving) Championship | Railways count it as the junior national for diving |
| 3. SAI swimming centres | SAI's swimming NCOE at Dr SPM Swimming Pool Complex, Delhi, and STCs |
| 4. Senior nationals and Asian Games | Selection for World Aquatics events |
Diving at every age — Age Group C at 12 to masters 80+
World Aquatics junior diving has three age groups from 12; LA28 divers must be born by 2014; masters diving starts at 25 with no top age. [1][2]
Type an age to light up every group you can enter.
- 12–13years
- 14–15years
- 14+years
- 16–18years
-
18–28years
Job window
Sports-quota job window
Railways sports quota takes ages 18–25 (on 1 Jan 2027, Western Railway 2026-27 notice). CRPF takes 18–23 (on 1 Aug 2026) plus 5 years for a sportsperson — up to 28 unreserved, 31 OBC, 33 SC/ST. Central Group C posts relax the upper age by up to 5 years (10 for SC/ST). [10][11][9]
-
25–80+years
Masters · veterans
Masters diving
Five-year groups from 25–29 upwards. From 50, 10 m platform dives carry extra limits; from 70 you may repeat a dive number. Synchro pairs go by total age. [1]
Where divers train
- SAI lists the Dr SPM Swimming Pool Complex, Delhi as an NCOE for swimming. Divers need a pool with springboards and a 10 m tower. [7]
Low kit cost — and who pays
- Diving needs little personal kit (swimwear), but access to a diving pool and coach is essential. Education Margdarshan does not print fees — no governing body publishes them. [7]
Who pays [7][8]
| Stage | Paid by | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| SAI centre trainee | Sports Authority of India | Coaching, boarding, sports science, diet |
| Khelo India athlete | Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports | ₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash |
| Olympic prospect | TOPS Core Group | ₹50,000 a month + approved training plan |
Railways, CRPF and other sports-quota jobs
- Western Railway's 2026-27 sports quota had Level 3/2 diving posts for men and women (1 m springboard, 3 m springboard, high board).
- CRPF's 2026 sports quota had diving posts (high board, 3 m and 1 m springboard).
- Swimming is one of the 65 sports on the DoPT list for central sports-quota jobs (diving is not named separately). [10][11][9]
Where this roadmap comes from
The sources cited on this page, numbered as on the main Diving guide, read on 17 October 2026. Trials, age rules and scheme amounts change — open the current file before you act on it.
- World Aquatics — Competition Regulations, Part Four: Diving Rules (in force February 2026) (opens in a new tab) Award scale, cancelling high/low awards, degree of difficulty, dives per event, platform and springboard rules, age date · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- World Aquatics — Qualification System, LA28 Olympic Games: Diving (version 15 June 2026; copy published by NOC*NSF) (opens in a new tab) 8 events, 136 places, NOC limits, birth-date rule · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- World Aquatics — Route to LA28 confirmed as diving qualification system approved (opens in a new tab) Budapest 2027 Worlds, continental competitions, 2028 Diving World Cup stops · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) diving at the 2026 Asian Games · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Dr SPM Swimming Pool Complex, Delhi — NCOE for swimming · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) 65-sport list (swimming listed; diving not named separately) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Level 3/2 diving posts (1 m, 3 m springboard, high board); Junior National Aquatics (Diving) Championship · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) Diving posts — high board, 3 m and 1 m springboard · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
- NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
The rules and scoring, recognition, the traps to avoid and player doubts.