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Only 3 Zimbabwe pools meet competition standards
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Only three of Zimbabwe's 22 swimming pools meet the standard dimensions required to host competitive aquatic events, Parliament has heard, raising concerns over the deteriorating state of the country's sports infrastructure.
A report presented by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture revealed that most municipal swimming pools are no longer suitable for competitive swimming, while the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex has remained out of operation for more than a decade.
According to the committee, the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex, which was constructed for the 1995 All Africa Youth Games, has been non-operational since 2015 due to the deterioration of its filtration systems and damaged tiles.
"The Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex was built for the 1995 All Africa Youth Games and had futuristic features that were ahead of their time and today they are still to be fully utilized," the report said.
"The Committee heard that the aquatic centre has been non-operational since 2015 due to issues of filtration systems and tiles."
The Zimbabwe Aquatic Union (ZAU) told the committee that only three pools located in Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo currently meet the required dimensions for competitive events.
"The Zimbabwe Aquatic Union (ZAU) reported that only three pools in Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo met the standard dimensions for competitions out of 22 in the country, and these often faced water shortages," the report stated.
The committee also noted that athletes have limited opportunities to train throughout the year because heated swimming pools are largely confined to private schools, leaving public facilities without the infrastructure needed for all-season training.
"The availability of heated pools for year-round training was however limited only to private school owned pools, leaving out public pool facilities," the report said.
To address the challenges, the parliamentary committee recommended the creation of a national sports facility rehabilitation fund to finance critical repairs and upgrades to sporting infrastructure.
It also urged greater investment in the maintenance of sports facilities to ensure they remain functional, support athlete development and enable Zimbabwe to host regional and international aquatic competitions.
A report presented by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture revealed that most municipal swimming pools are no longer suitable for competitive swimming, while the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex has remained out of operation for more than a decade.
According to the committee, the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex, which was constructed for the 1995 All Africa Youth Games, has been non-operational since 2015 due to the deterioration of its filtration systems and damaged tiles.
"The Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex was built for the 1995 All Africa Youth Games and had futuristic features that were ahead of their time and today they are still to be fully utilized," the report said.
"The Committee heard that the aquatic centre has been non-operational since 2015 due to issues of filtration systems and tiles."
The Zimbabwe Aquatic Union (ZAU) told the committee that only three pools located in Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo currently meet the required dimensions for competitive events.
"The Zimbabwe Aquatic Union (ZAU) reported that only three pools in Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo met the standard dimensions for competitions out of 22 in the country, and these often faced water shortages," the report stated.
The committee also noted that athletes have limited opportunities to train throughout the year because heated swimming pools are largely confined to private schools, leaving public facilities without the infrastructure needed for all-season training.
"The availability of heated pools for year-round training was however limited only to private school owned pools, leaving out public pool facilities," the report said.
To address the challenges, the parliamentary committee recommended the creation of a national sports facility rehabilitation fund to finance critical repairs and upgrades to sporting infrastructure.
It also urged greater investment in the maintenance of sports facilities to ensure they remain functional, support athlete development and enable Zimbabwe to host regional and international aquatic competitions.
Source - online
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