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USC to construct Olympic swimming pool
The University of the Sunshine Coast will soon have a 10-lane Olympic swimming pool at its Sippy Downs campus.
The $2.4 million facility will be funded by the State Government, the University, community donations and through in-kind support during construction. It will be built adjacent USC’s Health and Sport Centre, sports stadium and athletics track.
Queensland’s Sports Minister Phil Reeves last year pledged $900,000 to the heated, 50-metre pool, which will be the first of its kind in the region — available for community use, but also designed for specialised research and testing of elite swimmers.
USC will cover the remaining construction costs of the facility, and has called for community support with a special fundraising campaign aimed at raising $300,000.
Construction is expected to begin soon and will be completed by mid-2011.
This will be the final project at USC initiated under the leadership of the University’s founding Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas AM, who will retire on Friday (11 June).
Professor Thomas said the pool project had been on the drawing board for many years and he was delighted to be able to finally announce its planned construction.
“A pool like this would have been seen as a luxury in the University’s early days, but today many of our academic and research programs will benefit enormously,” he said. “It will also be another leisure facility for our students and the general community.”
Mr Reeves said the $900,000 grant for the pool was made under the Queensland Government’s Major Facilities Program, which provides financial assistance to organisations to develop and enhance sport and recreation infrastructure.
He said the pool would provide additional opportunities for Sunshine Coast residents to participate in sport and recreation.
“If people have good access to sporting facilities in their local communities, it makes it easier for them to get involved in sport and recreation,” he said. “Not only will this pool be a great asset to the University, but it will also be made available to local schools, such as Chancellor State College, and the broader community.”
USC’s Professor of Sport Science Brendan Burkett said the aquatic facility would give the University an opportunity to become a national leader in aquatic research.
“The pool will enhance our teaching and research and will be able to be used for everything from rehabilitation and teaching children how to swim, to fine tuning the techniques of Olympic swimmers,” Professor Burkett said.
“This is very exciting news for the University’s health and sport precinct, and it’s great to get such strong commitment and support from the State Government and from community donations through the Foundation.”
Those interested in supporting the fundraising campaign for the pool can contact USC’s Foundation Executive Officer Andrew Pentland on (07) 5430 1104.
— Terry Walsh