Sports

15.01.2023

World Aquatics promises to support swimming community as pools closed by energy crisis caused by Ukraine war

World Aquatics promises to support swimming community as pools closed by energy crisis caused by Ukraine war
  • Members of the discussion:

  • Last reply:


World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam has promised to help counter the closure of swimming pools as a result of rising energy costs.

Many pools have been closed as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the energy crisis brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a price increase in some cases of around 200 per cent.

World Aquatics is deeply proud of the way our sports bring together hundreds of millions of people every week, united by water in improving their health, living better lives and enjoying sport, but these advantages can only be fully enjoyed when there is proper access to the right facilities.

Al-Musallam said.

Swimming pools represent a special opportunity for physical activity and sport, for the very young to the very old. These facilities are deserving of special support,.

We are concerned that in some places access is already being restricted, especially by swimming pool closures, reduced opening hours and big increases in entry prices, 

This negative impact goes far beyond the regular swimming pool users who are training for competition and is especially troubling when it affects the ability of young people to learn an essential life skill.

World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam has vowed to help the swimming community overcome the closure of pools caused by the energy crisis 

The French physical education union has calculated that in France alone some 800,000 children had been unable to learn to swim in 2021 and 2022.

Across Europe, the lockdowns of the pandemic meant that tens of millions of children already missed the chance to learn to swim at a time in their lives when this would normally happen,

European Aquatics President António José Silva said.

For too many communities, those closures have extended straight into a new period without access or with restricted access to swimming pools,

Aquatics website Swimswam reported that in France at least 30 pools have been forced to close after operators reported an increase in energy prices from €15 million (£13 million/$16 million) to €100 million (£89 million/ $108 million) since the war in Ukraine.

Pools operator Vert Marine claimed that the increase was often equivalent to the total income generated by the facilities.

A swimming pool on the outskirts of Paris was one of at least 30 in France forced to close by rising energy costs caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine 

Ours is a unique sport that can do more than improve lives,it can save them,

Silva said.

Alongside World Aquatics, we are determined to help our Member Federations to generate the support that is needed to keep swimming pools open.

LEN have scheduled a meeting with delegates from all Member Federations for February 13 to try and find a coordinated approach to the crisis.

Tags:

Discussion

Top
Top of discussion

More on the topic

More on the topic

The 2023 World Figure Skating Championships Conclude in a Blaze of Glory for Japan

This Championship was pretty amazing! And it showed that without Russians it didn’t become less interesting. The public doesn’t need quads by 15 year olds to enjoy the competition

Elena Anikina: "We hope, especially considering the position and strategy which IOC has now, that very soon the situation will be changed"

Apparently, soon Russia will have to build luge-bobsleigh tracks not only in Russia, but also in partner countries!) In terms of competitiveness for Russian bobsleigh, this is a st

Alexander Tkachev: "We make sure that our athletes get the most important thing - the opportunity to compete"

Yes, it is an interesting vector of development, it is also important here what projects and initiatives Russia can offer for Asian countries? Will we be able to host the Asian Che

Israeli gymnastics hit by allegations parents were asked to bribe judges

A great case, it seems tha now we need an analogue of WADA, who will investigate attempts to bribe judges, etc. It will be very interesting.

Sport and politics: my experiences as an athlete

Все это лишь еще раз доказывает, что спорт должен оставаться вне политики. К сожалению, чаще всего это просто слова.

Olympian, Nassar survivor Tasha Schwikert Moser on USA Gymnastics' board of directors

Очень круто, когда человек уверен, что именно он может что-то изменить, а особенно когда человек знает спорт изнутри. Уважать!

Disqualified for running in a hijab, Noor Alexandria Abukaram turned pain into action

Хочу поблагодарить эту спортсменку за то, что она не побоялась поставить свою историю в пример. Я считаю, что спортсмен может раскрыть свою религию. Хиджаб – выявленная черта мусул

Suni Lee finds support at Auburn after Olympics 'impostor syndrome'

Случайно, я знаю об этой спортсменке, сделал один вывод, что она точно не блещет, она очень солнечный человек. Жаль, что кто-то не был счастлив, когда она заслужила золото для свое

'Anesthetic injections are....' - WADA chief on doping accusation on French Open winner Rafael Nadal

Да, конечно, спорт — это преодоление себя. А к Рафаэлю вопросов нет, только респект за шикарную игрушку. Но все же, мне кажется, нельзя на сто процентов сказать, что теннисистка то

Give us a chance

Yes, I think athlets from foreign countries understand that all Championships and tournaments are not competitive enough without Russian athlets. I think one day when the situatio

Sport and Politics. Instead of afterword

The question of connection between Sports and Politics was always "exstra burning". So I am interested in your opinion: where should be the border between sport and politics and wh

“Oh, come on, where’s the medals?” or Do the media force athletes too hard?

I am pleased to announce that the British duck has been broken. Team GB will win at least one silver by the end of the Games on Sunday following their win in the Men's Curling semi

We use cookies to improve the site and your interaction with it. If you continue to use this website, you are giving :appName permission to collect and store cookies on your device.