Paris 2024: In sports, a major national cause, the worrying state of swimming pools in France

Learning spaces, recreation or competition spaces, islands of innovation… it’s hard not to see swimming pools as “No habitable places”. At least that’s how Ekaterine Leonidas, vice president of the National Association of Elected Sports Officials (Andes) describes them. “This is the last sports facility I will close”An elected official from La Rochelle claims.

However, despite evidence of their social benefits, many swimming pools are closing. Online petitions are started by concerned users. Save the Saint-Sauvignon swimming pool in Vienna has more than 1,200 signatures. as much as the number of inhabitants of the municipality. “No one will put euros in this pool”, condemns its mayor, Christophe Chapet. The renovation works will cost 1.2 million euros.

This is a difficulty for certain municipalities or inter-municipalities responsible for the management of swimming pools: the bill quickly becomes steep when it comes to upgrading by integrating new thermal restrictions, or considering the construction of new equipment.

However, the communities face a double problem: the existing pool, estimated at 4,000 swimming pools, is aging – 70% date back to 1995 according to a 2018 Court of Auditors report and almost 600 are dilapidated according to the French Swimming Federation – and swimming pools are missing in many places.

50 million euros per year

“Are you ready to support a real ‘Marshall Plan’ for swimming pool renovations and construction?” »Senator (Les Républicains) Michel Savin presented it to the Minister of Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games during the discussion of the 2024 budget project in October. “In recent years, we have not been able to invest enough in our swimming pools. The 2024 Generation Plan will allow us to do more.Amelie Oudea-Castera answered.

With the Games to be hosted in the summer of 2024, and while the official speech has made sport a major national issue in 2024, this plan for the 2024 generation will shift in January from the plan for 5,000 local facilities implemented in 2022 and 2023. From 2024 to 2026, with an investment of 100 million euros.

Will this be enough to help communities lift themselves up? “There is no way!shouts M^I Leonidas. Construction or renovation costs millions of euros. This plan mainly refers to small free-use structures such as boxing gyms, street training areas [équipements de musculation et gymnastique en extérieur], skate park. »