By Zainab Joaque
A Sierra Leonean swimmer, Morris Beale has pleaded for the water in the swimming pool at the national stadium to be sanitized. “It is not healthy for us to swim in a pool that is not clean” he says adding that it takes a month before the water in the pool is changed”. Speaking to Politico Sports Beale who took part last year in the 11th Federation Internationale de Nation Amateur (FINA) World Swimming Championships in Istanbul disclosed that the pool is cleaned only when there are trials. "No health inspection is being done before our trials, the water is not hygienic and we need more materials for cleaning like acid and iron brush. He goes on that the pool, the only one in the country for sports, lacks international standards something he says scuppers their chances of reaching the qualifying standards and appeals for an uplift. Beale says Guma Valley Water Company is responsible for supplying water to the pool. “They send their staff to put water in the pool, the water level at the pool currently is low, we cannot train unless the company gives us water that reaches the standard level” he says. The Manager of the national stadium, Saidu Mansaray says there is enough water within the facility. “We only restrict its use as people refuse to conform to rules regarding the use of water” he says, adding that from time to time “we encounter problems with bad pipes, but that is being rectified immediately".
