St. Lucia Breaks Ground On New National Aquatic Center

The island of Saint Lucia just held its ground-breaking ceremony this week on a brand new aquatics center to be built near the city of Gros Islet.  The estimated $12 million National Aquatic Center will house a 50-meter pool, built to the international standards and capable of hosting regional and international meets.  The facility will have a 500-seat pavilion and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2016.

During the initial planning stages of the facility, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony said that the pool will be vital in reaching out to St. Lucian citizens in teaching a life skill.  “Being able to swim is a matter of life or death. And we have sadly seen over the years far too many unfortunate lives lost in our waters due to persons being unable to swim, unable to contend with the sea, whether it has fury or not. It is a shameful reality that despite being surrounded by the waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic, the vast majority of our population cannot swim or stay afloat in these waters. This we need to change, and while infrastructure alone is not the answer, it is a major step in the right direction.” (stlucianewsonline.com)

Dr. Anthony was also present at the actual groundbreaking ceremony, where he commented that “This afternoon’s ceremony clearly brings joy to so many people. Great joy to swimmers, amateur and professional; great joy to their community of supporters; the parents; the coaches; all of those who want to see Saint Lucia become a mecca for swimming in the Caribbean and the region.”

The National Aquatic Center’s location will be less than a mile from three other major sporting facilities which include the Beausejour Stadium, Beausejour Gymnasium and the National Tennis Center.