The much talked-about Olympic-size swimming pool to be constructed by the Guyana government seems one step closer to realization with the recent announcement that tenders for its construction would soon be out.

The announcement was made by Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, while declaring open the national amateur swimming championships at the Castellani Pool on Saturday.

Addressing competitors, their relatives, parents and officials of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA), Kumar gave the assurance that the pool would not be constructed somewhere “behind God’s back;” it would be conveniently located on seven acres of land, at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, opposite to and between the Caricom Secretariat and the International Conference Centre. Kumar also informed the audience that government would not be managing the pool; that task, he disclosed, would devolve onto the GASA. That responsibility, he asserted, would however require a strong swimmimg association. On that note, Kumar urged the GASA to strengthen the swimming clubs since the association would only be as strong as the clubs. Finally, Kumar challenged the executive to make the GASA a genuinely national body, as against being just Georgetown based.