Top Scots swimmer Mhairi Swanson urges Nicola Sturgeon to put excercise ahead of pubs and shop reopenings

Mhairi Swanson has challenged the Scottish Government in a letter to Nicola Sturgeon
Picture: Holyrood PRPicture: Holyrood PR
Picture: Holyrood PR

One of Scotland’s leading swimmers has issued a personal appeal to re-open pools which remain subject to indefinite Coronavirus lockdown.

Mhairi Swanson has accused the Scottish Government of putting drinking and shopping ahead of physical exercise. She has now written a letter to Nicola Sturgeon urging a rethink on the part of ministers.

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Gyms and swimming pools will reopen in England next weekend and have already started to reopen in Northern Ireland. But there is no sign of a return north of the border, despite the widespread relaxation of restrictions this week which has seen pubs, libraries, museums and cinemas return.

Ms Swanson is one of Scotland’s top national level swimmers and has said that keeping fit and tackling obesity were key in the fight against Covid-19.

“I don’t really understand why they are not reopening,” she said yesterday.

“I don’t think there has been any clear reason given to swimmers why pools cant reopen. Swimming is a noncontact sport, it is in a safe environment because of the chlorinated pools, its highly possible for social distancing to be put in place. I mean swimming lanes are 2 and a half metre’s, so its perfectly possible for 2m to be maintained.”

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“Swimming pools are going to need a massive amount of help to survive after this. Pools across the country have frozen memberships, they’ve closed doors, there’s no money coming, and financially it’s going to really take its toll on swimming centres and leisure centres. Some will collapse and we will loose a generation of swimmers for as long as this continues.”

“It’s a sport that is loved and treasured by all generations, and I don’t understand why I can sit at home, see pubs and restaurants reopening. It’s great that they are. But why can’t pools, because it has been proven that there are regulations and protocols that can make it as safe as possible for people.”

Current Scottish government guidance, however, states that swimming pools come under a list of venues which “involve prolonged close social contact, increasing the chance of infection spreading”.

The reopening of pools in Scotland will be considered after 31 July, but minister say that they must remain closed for now.

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But Ms Swanson added: “To me it seems very much like it’s pubs before pools at the moment.

“I personally don’t think it seems like getting sports back up and running is a priority and to me that’s quite concerning.

“I mean, are we seriously aspiring to be a nation of shoppers and drinkers? The prioritisation of drinking and alcoholism before exercise and physical wellbeing says a lot about Scotland’s culture”.

Chlorine, which is present in pools, is believed to kill Coronavirus, but the concerns for gyms and swimming pools centres on the changing areas.

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A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We would like to see facilities like gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts reopen as soon as it is safe to do so and are working towards that happening. Our latest review indicated that they will not open before 31 July at the earliest.

“In order to make reopening possible we are currently developing national guidance on protocols to ensure that physical distancing and hygiene measures can be observed.

“We are thinking carefully about these matters on an ongoing basis and, unfortunately, there are particular challenges for gyms and swimming pools in particular, in relation to confined and poorly ventilated changing facilities and the higher risk of transmission through perspiration. We will continue our assessment and provide an update on opening dates as soon as possible.”

It comes after Alistair Robertson, the managing director of Sport Aberdeen – an arm’s-length organisation which operates sport and leisure venues in the city – last week said he was “devastated” by the delay in gyms reopening.

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And he warned the decision could have significant financial consequences for businesses in the sector.

Mr Robertson said: “In the wake of the worst public health crisis in a generation, denying the people of Scotland access to venues which benefit their physical and mental health and wellbeing, while allowing access to venues such as pubs and cinemas, defies belief.”

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