The British Virgin Islands will soon have a 25-meter international competition standard swimming pool after the BVI Olympic Committee (BVIOC) secured a commitment from Panam Sports and World Aquatics to support the supply of the facility.
The confirmation came from the BVIOC in a media release on Wednesday that said the pool, which is valued at approximately $400,000, will be installed and managed by the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC).
It follows six months of discussions between BVIOC President Mr. Ephraim Penn, Secretary General for Panam Sports Mr. Ivar Sisniega and President of HLSCC Dr. Richard Georges.
Penn spoke on the initial conversation that led to the college’s involvement in the partnership.
“Dr. Georges initially approached the BVIOC in July with an offer of partnership for the installation of a swimming pool following a response I had given to a question on the status of swimming in the territory at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games press conference,” he stated.
“This was a timely outreach that came on the heels of a Panam Sports National Olympic Committee Consultation meeting that Secretary General Lloyd Black, Treasurer Mark Chapman and I attended in Miami in May 2022,” he added.
Aligns with HLSCC’s master plan
HLSCC’s President Dr. Richard Georges said the project aligns with the college’s master plan since it supports the marine and maritime curriculum as well as improves the experience of the students on campus.
“The HLSCC currently offers a range of accredited maritime certifications that prepare students to work in the marine and marine tourism industries. Our current STCW certifications require a water safety module for which a swimming pool is integral to the practical training and testing of the participants. Until we have our own pool, we are reliant on the use of private facilities,” Dr. Georges stated.
“Having our own facility will provide stability to those programmes while enabling us to evolve our campus into a comprehensive educational institution that supports the development of student life while strengthening its regional and international appeal to third party educators,” he added.
Selection explained
President of Panama Sports Mr. Neven Ilic explained why the BVI was selected to receive the project, pointing to the development of sports in the territory that has been observed as well as the previous investments made by his organisation.
He said, “Panam Sports and World Aquatics identified installation of swimming pools as an urgent need for the region…The BVI has already made its mark in swimming with the likes of Olympian Elinah Phillip and this, along with our history of support for the development of the BVI’s athletes, coaches, sports and sporting facilities like the Mondo track at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Ground, helped us to identify the NOC as the beneficiary of our offer to provide a training and competition pool provided they could find a location and a partner that would be responsible for civil works and the maintenance and management of the facility, which should be accessible to all.”
Essential for development competitive swimmers
The initiative was presented to the BVIOC by Secretary General Mr. Sisniega who explained that a pool is essential for the development of competitive swimmers.
He also stressed the importance of learning to swim as a survival skill.
“A short course 25-meter pool is the ideal sized pool for a small country, since it would allow the swimmers to compete in official distances, while at the same time supporting a learn to swim program that would help develop local talent and, more importantly, give the opportunity to many of the local children and youth the opportunity to learn to swim properly and to engage in this sport on a regular basis,” Mr. Sisniega stated.
In addition to serving training needs, the swimming pool is expected to be used for teaching basic survival skills through progressive swimming lessons offered at all levels.