TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As drought strikes again in south Taiwan, Kaohsiung City Government announced that it will close 12 public pools starting Thursday (April 20).
In a press release published on Saturday (April 15), the city’s Sports Development Bureau listed the swimming pools that will be closed, including seven municipal pools, Gushan, Zuoying, Sanmin, Cianjhen, Sinsing, Cijin, and Youchang, and five sports center pools, Fengshan, Lingya, Zuoying, Cianjhen, and Daliao. Depending on the water supply in the city, the drought command center will issue relevant policies for private pools.
Athletes who train at public pools will still be able to access them, but shower facilities will not be available. The water in the pool will not be replenished either.
Liberty Times cited the Sports Development Bureau as saying the date of the pools’ reopening will depend on water supply levels. The last time pools were closed due to a drought, they were closed for about two months.
Professional swimmer Tu Ming-min (凃明旻) was cited as saying that the closure will impact training and competition performance because athletes must adapt to new pools when they change locations. He added that if the closures continue, competitions of all sorts will be affected.
However, according to the Sports Development Bureau, once the National Middle School Athletic Games begins next week on Saturday (April 22), most swimmers will be in northern Taiwan. Therefore, the pool closures that start on Thursday should not impact training too severely.
