Competitive swimmers plead for new Olympic pool in Ottawa
Swim clubs say promising athletes are leaving the city in search of better facilities
Local swim clubs are calling on the city to build better facilities or risk having athletes leave Ottawa to train elsewhere.
Of the three 50-metre pools in the city, swim clubs say only one — the Nepean Sportplex — is fit for competitive swim meets.
The University of Ottawa and Carleton University both have 50-metre pools, but Carleton's only has six lanes and the U of O's lacks enough spectator space.
"If we want to own the podium... we have to have the right facilities in the city, and currently we do not," said Tom Anzai, founder and president of Swim Ottawa.
"Penny Oleksiak has risen to the top because she [trains] in the new Pan Am pool."- Tom Anzai, Swim Ottawa
The plea comes in the wake of Canada's Olympic success in the pool in Rio — in particular, the four-medal performance by 16-year-old swimming sensation Penny Oleksiak — and a surge in interest in competitive swimming.
- The Penny Effect: Swim clubs anticipate busy season following Olympics
- Olympic hopefuls dazzled by Penny Oleksiak's gold
Greater Ottawa Kingfish President Kevin Jones says the demand for competitive swimming in Ottawa right now is so great, his club is having to turn away new members.
But many swimmers leave the city once they reach university, said Jones, in search of better facilities.
"We see people going to University of Toronto because it is affiliated with the Pan Am facility that was built in 2015. In Vancouver there's a high performance centre," Jones told CBC News.
"[In one year] we only managed to retain three or four swimmers out of a graduating group of 15 swimmers."
Emily Anzai, Tom Anzai's daughter, is one star swimmer who has chosen to leave her hometown. She now swims for the University of Guelph and attended the Olympic trials this year.
"I wanted to pick a university that gave me the best option for school and for swimming," said 21-year old Anzai, noting that she chose Guelph because it has a 25-metre pool on campus and a 50-metre Olympic pool nearby.
"Guelph is one-sixth the size of Ottawa, so it's really awesome they have both options."
Facilities 'key' to reaching podium
Her father says athletic facilities "absolutely" make a difference in winning medals.
"There's two key ingredients for any sport," Tom Anzai said. "Number one, you have to have the coaches, top rate coaches that understand the swimmers. Then, number two, you have to have the facilities to promote that development."
"Penny Oleksiak has risen to the top because she [trains] in the new Pan Am pool."
The Aquatic Centre at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre has two Olympic sized swimming pools, a dive tank, and seating for more than 2,000 spectators.
The last 50-metre pool to be built in Ottawa was in the 1970s.
2021 opportunity for Ottawa?
Both swim club owners say that Ottawa's bid to host the 2021 Canada Summer Games is an opportunity for new investment in swimming facilities.
"Some cities, like London, Ontario for example, built pools specifically for that competition," said Anzai. "I see no reason why Ottawa should not be doing the same kind of thing."
But the city has no plans for new Olympic pools any time soon.
Dan Chenier, the city's general manager of parks, recreation and cultural services, says that although a new 50-metre pool in Ottawa would benefit swim clubs, building one would require significant additional capital and lead to ongoing operating costs.
Instead, the city is focused on the needs of the general public, he said.
"The City's aquatic services are focused on delivering programs at the introductory and intermediate levels, which translates into high demand for programs such as swimming lessons, public swimming, aqua fitness, and aquatic camps that are well served by 25-metre pools," Chenier said in a statement.
The city said it also recognizes that many swim clubs prefer a 50-metre pool, promising to consult with them as it reviews its recreation policy.