By Kemoh Sesay
The management of the national stadium has closed the swimming pool, preventing members of the Sierra Leone Swimming Association (SLSA) from using the facility as they prepare for the Barcelona Games in July this year.
According to Nathaniel Newlands, a member of the Media Committee of SLSA his members have been refused access to the pool after several appeals to the stadium management.
He said an Italian Course Instructor is in town to help prepare the swimmers for the games, “but he finds it difficult to have access to the pool and there is no water in the place…we have had to make use of the Bintumani Hotel swimming pool which was really expensive for us”.
One of the qualified swimmers Sahr James expressed disappointment at the way they are being treated by the stadium management saying, ‘’the competition is just around the corner and we are still faced with such a problem daily, but despite that we still have the courage to represent our country in Barcelona’’.
The stadium manager Saidu Mansaray, confirmed to Politico that the SLSA had asked for permission to use the pool but he had referred them to the Minister of Sports Paul Kamara, whom he says has the sole right to give permission for the use of any facilities within the Stadium.
