Olympic champ joins pool battle

David Davies trained at the pool before winning an Olympic medal

Swimmers who use a pool in Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff are battling again to save it from closure.

The future of the pool in Sophia Gardens is currently "under review" by the Sports Council for Wales (SCW).

It comes as 25m and 50m pools at Cardiff Bay's International Sports Village open.

Olympic bronze medal winner David Davies who trained at the pool before the 2004 games is supporting the fight to keep the pool open.

Other athletes including sprinter Christian Malcolm and badminton player Richard Vaughan are also supporting the campaign.

The pool at Sophia Gardens was originally built 35 years ago primarily for training Wales' sportsmen and women but it is also used by the public.

It literally is the soul of the building and without it, well it's inconceivable Stella Walters

In 2001, its future was put in doubt when the 50m Wales National Pool was opened in Swansea.

However, it remained open to compensate for the closure of the Empire Pool in 1998 becoming the new home of the City of Cardiff Swimming Club.

But it is thought the pool is likely to close due to two new pools opening in nearby Cardiff Bay.

In a statement the SCW said: "The forthcoming opening of the new 50m and 25m swimming pools at the International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay means that the role of the pool at the Welsh Institute of Sport has to be reviewed once again.

"It will no longer be the national training venue for swimming squads and considerable investment is required to maintain and refurbish it.

"The Sports Council for Wales is currently considering the specialist facility needs of national bodies to see what changes need to be made to our facilities in order that the Institute remains at the forefront of world class provision.

"However, any decision taken will not be made for financial reasons as replacing the pool with other facilities will also require significant investment.

"SCW has a responsibility to consider the national needs of all sports including swimming."

Regular users of the pool are fighting to keep the pool open.

David Davies trained at the pool before winning an Olympic medal

Stella Walters, who uses it on a daily basis said it offered "serious swimmers" a chance to swim without the interruption of a leisure centre pool.

"We are under a serious threat of closure," she said.

"Some people think it is a done deal, but it is a fantastic pool.

"The Welsh Institute of Sport is a centre of excellence and it isn't only swimmers who use it, you've got athletes from the Welsh rugby team, the Welsh football team, netball, polo, everything.

"It literally is the soul of the building and without it, well it's inconceivable."

Ms Walters said a petition to save the pool from closure already had 1,500 signatures of support.

The Sports Council for Wales said issues surrounding the pool's future were being discussed and an announcement would be made when a decision had been reached.

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