Aquatic sports facilities required in Gozo for clubs, schools and the public

On a press statement issued on the 19th of this month, I remarked that Gozo still lacks public aquatic sports facilities and that the lack of development of sports facilities in Gozo is another sign that Gozitans are not treated equally as their Maltese counterparts.

My Party - The Green Party (AD) is supporting the Gozitan Waterpolo Club Otters ASC in their plea for a fresh water pool in Gozo. One national swimming pool already exists in Malta, together with another two covered and heated pools; hence we believe that Gozitans deserve, by right, an indoor heated pool in Gozo.

AD has long been insisting that the government should invest in aquatic sports in Gozo. In our electoral manifesto for Gozo, Alternattiva Demokratika proposed that a pool and aquatic sports facility would form part of the existing sports complex in Victoria where adjacent land is available.

I reminded that a swimming pool in Gozo was part of the Nationalist Party`s manifesto in 1991. But we are still waiting 18 years after.

We urge elected parliamentarians to cross party co-operation in order to safeguard the interests of all Gozitans and Gozo's specific needs. The government should invest in sports in Gozo rather than speculating further on public land.

The Green Party Chairperson Prof. Arnold Cassola also commented on this issue and said that given the socio-educational advantages of aquatic sports in Gozo, he sincerely hope that in the not-so-distant future sports finds itself on the national agenda and is not used only for lip-servicing exercises that seem to have become somewhat of a national pastime.

Prof. Cassola concluded by saying:

"Give Gozitans what is theirs by right. Gozo deserves the construction and development of a common Olympic Standard pool heated to be used both in Winter and Summer for training and available to all clubs, schools and the general public.”

Gozo National Swimming Pool

When back in December 2007 we objecting to Planning Application 01894/07 by which the Otters WaterPolo Club intended to excavate the foreshore for a seawater pool and to construct other sports facilities extending existing site by another 30metres, effectively transferring a public foreshore into a private complex, we proposed the following:

"Such aquatic sports facilities should form part of the existing Sports Complex in Victoria"

I reiterate what I said then, that all Gozitans would benefit from a national indoor heated swimming pool and the government should tap EU funds to provide central aquatic sports facility. Alternattiva Demokratika has a long successful history in keeping beaches freely available to the public. We intend to protect this coastal area left in Marsalforn to defend public rights of access, as well as to secure proper aquatic sports facilities elsewhere.

Was a national swimming pool in Gozo not part of the Nationalist Party's manifesto in 1991? We are still waiting 17 years later.

Two national swimming pools already exist in Malta; hence we believe that Gozitans deserve, by right, a national pool in Gozo. In its electoral manifesto for Gozo, Alternattiva Demokratika proposed that a national pool and aquatic sports facility would form part of the existing sports complex in Victoria where adjacent land is available or in other locations such as the abandoned Hondoq ir-Rummien distillation plant which could be rehabilitated and transformed into an indoor solar power heated pool for all citizens.

On the 21st May 2008 - at the new parliament sitting - Gozitan Labour MP Justyne Caruana asked the Gozo Minister what happened to the promised public pool for Gozo.

And the answer was:
"Il-Ministeru qieghed jahdem fuq il-pjanijiet biex il-proposta li ssir pixxina gewwa Ghawdex titwettaq kif imwieghed."

Meaning that 'The Ministry is working on the plans so that the proposal for a pool in Gozo will materialize as promised.'

and on it goes...