-will impact training for Carifta Games
The pool at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal will be closed for a week to facilitate cleaning after photos surfaced of its filthy condition and some who have been using the facility for years say this is a regular occurrence.
In the photos that surfaced on social media, moss and sediments could clearly be seen while the washrooms were full of muck and in a condition unfit for use.
The Aquatic Centre is home to Guyana’s sole Olympic-sized pool and is integral to the swimmers of the country as it is used for practice sessions, preparations for upcoming international meets and to host local swim meets. As it happens, the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) is in the middle of preparations for their annual Republic Day Meet which will be used as part of the selection criteria for the upcoming Carifta Games from March 31-April 1 in Grenada.
Olympian Niall Roberts, who swam at the 2008 Olympics and further qualified for the 2012 edition of the Olympic Games, pointed out on social media that it is something that has been happening for years even though he has retired from the sport for over a decade. One parent also commented that it’s “an every two months story”.
Yet another parent stated; “When I told the cleaner/maintenance person that some people were getting boils that were itching and it’s coming from the pool, he said my people have a problem and it’s not the pool. I told him that we stayed out of the pool for days and the blood and itching went away then we went to use the creek and nothing happened. We also used another pool since we wanted to rule out possible causes and nothing happened. We went back into the Aquatic Centre and the boils came back on the individuals. We stopped and repeated the same thing and again it happened. We knew without a doubt it was from the dirty pool. Training had to stop for a while until the pool was cleaned. That’s an ongoing situation there”.
Stabroek Sport reached out to a senior GASA official who spoke on condition of anonymity and confirmed that the pool is indeed in a terrible condition which will affect their preparations ahead of the Carifta Games and their Republic Day meet.
The official also told this newspaper that GASA has been in communication with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and the National Sports Commission (NSC) who are responsible for the facility. They have decided to close the pool for at least a week according to the source.
The closure will allow for the pool to be treated and cleaned along with the washroom facilities.
Questioned about how the pool came to be in that condition, the GASA official responded; “Negligence. There are pool attendants and there are chemicals for the cleaning and maintenance of the pool, so it is nothing more than negligence by those persons responsible for the upkeep of the facility”.
The Ministry and the NSC have assured GASA that the situation will be remedied in a speedy manner so that the swimmers can get to training as soon as possible.
Stabroek Sport reached out to NSC’s Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle for a comment on the situation but up to press time, there was no response.
