 London is to host the 2012 Olympic Games |
Castlereagh and North Down have been shortlisted by government in a competition to decide where an Olympic-sized pool should be built. Two bids from Belfast City Council for the 50-metre pool have been rejected.
Sports minister Maria Eagle said the two councils would now be invited to provide a full business case.
She said the overall objective was to encourage the development of quality facilities by 2010, two years before the Olympic Games in London begin.
"Preparations for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are creating a stir across the United Kingdom," Ms Eagle said.
"For Northern Ireland this is an important opportunity to create better sporting facilities which will leave a legacy, both social and economic, for generations to come."
She said that the government was determined to raise the level of sport in the UK, to put quality facilities in place and to encourage people to become involved in a range of sports from an early age.
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