Although the pool within the Stromlo Leisure Centre offers swimmers a place to train and compete, it falls short of providing adequate seating and facilities to support a major swim event. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Head out to the AIS or Stromlo on a weekend and there will be a swimming competition of sorts. At other times, there will be club training.
For the larger regional meets, the venues are packed to the rafters with swimmers, coaches and parents battling to find a seat or a vantage position.
Having been involved with the swimming community for many years, I can speak from experience about the lack of seating at Canberra’s swimming facilities.
Being a swimming parent is a unique existence where you spend potentially up to 10 hours a weekend poolside.
In some cases, it is standing room only.
This falls well short of what is on offer in the majority of other major aquatic centres around Australia, where catering for spectators is seen as a priority, especially when hosting championship events such as the National titles.
A 3000-seat facility would be ideal.
There were hopes that seating to meet the standards required to host major events would be part of the Stromlo facility, but in the end, it failed to materialise.
In the eyes of many, it was a wasted opportunity. Similarly, the lack of an indoor diving facility at Stromlo was a notable omission, despite considerable lobbying for its inclusion.
Canberra’s diving community has been struggling for recognition, with the Civic Olympic Pool facility being the only option, and it is only available during the summer months, leaving divers to search for alternative locations in NSW.
With the ACT Government announcing that the 2025-26 budget will support a new aquatic centre in Commonwealth Park, there is renewed optimism that an indoor diving facility and seating to cater for championship events will be part of the plans.
Canberra’s only diving facility at Civic Olympic Pool. Photo: File.
Another aspect is the requirement for two pools to host major events – one 50-metre pool for competition and another for swimmers to warm up and cool down.
In many respects, it could be the last opportunity to do so, given the established centres at Tuggeranong, Gungahlin, Bruce and Stromlo.
It is hard to imagine the ACT Government having the appetite to build another major aquatic facility beyond the Commonwealth Park proposal in the foreseeable future.
