Wallonia, Belgium – A significant portion of Wallonia’s swimming pools remains out of reach for the public, even as efforts to address the region’s pool shortage continue.
According to a report by Sudinfo, of the 146 swimming pools listed by the sports registry in Wallonia, approximately 60 are closed or unavailable due to being located within school compounds.
The ongoing challenge highlights a gap between the region’s demand for accessible swimming facilities and the current supply.
In 2018, Wallonia initiated a “pool plan” aimed at increasing the number of swimming pools through renovations and new constructions. The plan selected 33 projects, focusing mainly on upgrading existing facilities, with some new builds included.
Since the plan’s inception, 20 of these projects have been completed, and six more are currently underway. However, despite these efforts, the region still faces a shortage of accessible swimming facilities.
The Walloon sports registry lists 146 pools, but at least 30 are either closed or permanently inaccessible. Only 16 of these are scheduled to reopen following renovation work.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many of the pools that are closed are situated within school premises, which are not open to the public.
When excluding these school pools, the region is left with 81 public swimming pools. Some of these facilities are seasonal, operating only during the warmer months, and one additional pool, the Plopsaqua in Hannut, can be counted as part of the public-private partnership.
The persistence of this issue has led to continued calls from politicians and community leaders for more comprehensive solutions. Despite the progress made with the pool plan, the gap between the number of facilities needed and those available remains significant.
The limited number of public pools and the closure of many facilities have had a noticeable impact on local residents and sports enthusiasts.
Efforts to address this shortage have included proposals for new pool constructions and expansions of existing facilities. Yet, the current state of public swimming facilities indicates that these measures have not fully met the growing demand for accessible and year-round swimming options.
As Wallonia continues to work towards expanding and improving its swimming pool infrastructure, the region’s residents and policymakers remain hopeful that future projects will better address the current shortfall and provide more opportunities for public access to swimming facilities.
For now, the focus remains on completing the ongoing projects and exploring new initiatives to ensure that more of Wallonia’s residents can enjoy the benefits of swimming, whether for recreation or competitive sports.
