State-of-the-art Olympic-size pool unveiled at Cottonera Sports Complex

Total expenditure of the project was €14 million

Prime Minister Robert Abela unveiled an Olympic-size pool at the Cottonera Sports Complex on Tuesday.

Dr Abela described the project as clear proof that the Government wants to continuously invest in the common good and thanks to these initiatives investment for such high-level projects is done around the whole country.

“This pool has been completed after an investment of €14 million that will continue to give a huge contribution so that we can reach the highest level in sport,” Dr Abela said.

“The fact that this unique sporting project is situated in the southern part of Malta is another proof that we want a better Malta and want to reach all areas of our country.

“This is a project that when is seen by our children, they will understand that they can aspire not only like any other boy and girl from other countries, but they can reach their dreams. We witnessed this in practice during the Games of the Small States of Europe, which were organised in our country.

“The investment for the GSSE was not just limited to the Games or for sports infrastructure but millions of euros were invested in the technical preparation of our athletes. And this investment will continue with a €5 million allocation from the National Development and Social Fund for the technical preparation of our athletes.”

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The Prime Minister concluded that he wants every boy and girl in Malta to be given the same opportunities and can dream of taking our country to the next level in sport and the government is committed to making this a reality.

The Cottonera Sports Complex boasts the best technology and includes a number of dressing rooms for athletes and officials, offices, control rooms, a stand for spectators and toilets.

The roof of the pool is made up in a way to compliment the area’s fortification and is made up of 44-metre-long wood.

The pool, which meets all the requisites of World Aquatics, boasts equipment to heat up the water of the pool and also has air conditioning.

On his part, Dr Clifton Grima, the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation expressed his satisfaction that this Olympic-size pool will be a great opportunity for the aquatic sporting sector in our country to take the next step and lead our athletes to more successful results.

Dr Grima maintained that children now have a facility that will help them train on a more professional basis and in the future help them as athletes representing our country to great results on the international scene.

On his part, Mark Cutajar, chief executive of SportMalta, said that this pool is one of the best sporting facilities in Malta.

“SportMalta always works to make life easier for our athletes and provides them with the best possible facilities so that they can reach their best possible performance on the international scene,” Cutajar said.

During Tuesday’s inauguration, Jayden Cassar, a member of the Malta U-17 waterpolo national team, said that the Maltese athletes feel fortunate that now they have a pool that is ranked among the best in the Mediterranean.

He said that this project is set to attract more youngsters to the aquatic sport and help our country get even better results on the international scene.