First steps taken towards Olympic-sized pool

CNS: The swimming programmes in the Cayman Islands have produced two competitors for the Paris Games but there may be more in the next Olympics as they will finally have an Olympic-sized pool for practice. Although it has not provided any details regarding costs, the Ministry of Sports has announced the procurement of the components to build two new pools, one 50-metre and one 25-metre, for the new Cayman Islands Aquatic Centre.

The ministry has also signed a contract for the installation of the pools but has not said who the successful bidder was or how much they will be paid. A release about the procurement did not say if the contract specified a timeframe to build the pools and gave no indication of how long this would take.

It appears from the release that the modular pool construction chosen by the ministry is the same as the one used to build the pools in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the US Olympic trials were held last month, but no details about the manufacturer or the construction have been revealed.

However, the release stated that the 25-metre pool will replace the current 25-metre Lions Pool at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, and the long-awaited new 50-metre pool will be installed at the same site. The first pool modules arrived three weeks ago, on 5 July.

Ongoing works on site development and reconfiguration are underway to ensure minimal disruption during the development of the Cayman Islands Aquatic Centre (CIAC), the ministry said.

It also said the pools will be instrumental in the ongoing development of swimming in the Cayman Islands and will provide first-class training and development facilities locally. For example, the ability to have 30 lanes at the CIAC, where now there are only six, will benefit current swimmers, reduce bulging waiting lists for swim programmes and help prevent delays in learn-to-swim programmes.   

Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association (CIASA) President Steve Broadbelt said, “The arrival of the first shipment of pool components for the new Aquatics Centre marks the beginning of the next chapter in swimming for Cayman, but also [charts] the course for what a facility like this can do for the community, for the youth, for water safety, for desperately needed senior programmes and water therapy.

“What we are building is so much more than a pool. This new centre will change how the people of Cayman enjoy the water and improve their quality of life, to the extent that we won’t be able to imagine a time when it didn’t exist.”

The ministry said without explanation that partnerships with other organisations are being pursued to ensure the success of this project.

Sports Minister Isaac Rankine said that the arrival of the first pool modules was “another noteworthy step in the development of this project and this government’s commitment to advancing sports in the Cayman Islands. These pools, which were a part of the facilities developed for the USA swim trials held in Indianapolis, [are] evidence that the Cayman Islands will have state-of-the-art pools in the new aquatic centre.”

He said that when it is complete, the new centre will support swim programmes for young children up to seniors and the development of safety programmes. It will also enhance the development of athletes in swimming disciplines as well as those in other sports who do aquatic training.

“We must recognise that this project would not be possible without the partnerships and dedication of local non-profit organisations,” Rankine said without naming any.

The ministry said it will continue to provide additional updates to the public throughout this project.

CNS has asked the ministry about the cost of the pools and the value of the contract to install them and we will update the article if we receive this information.