some municipalities forced to close them due to lack of resources

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Since the start of the school year, it has been completely calm at the Haubourdin swimming pool (North). Until this summer, the large pool, completely renovated in 2008, was bustling with swimmers, up to 200,000 per year. The extent of the damage can be seen especially underground, but it is too dangerous to go down there. The mayor agrees to show the stigmata that come to the surface. “There are starting to be some cracks appearing. There is subsidence. In the basement, water has infiltrated, the concrete has deteriorated, there are pieces of concrete that have fallen. If everything has to be rebuilt, the whole thing would cost around 18 or 20 million euros”deplores Pierre Beharelle, mayor (Without label) of Haubourdin. The equivalent of the city’s annual budget. Since September 1, 25 classes in schools in the area have been deprived of swimming.

The swimming pool of a neighboring town was called upon urgently. But it already welcomes 240 students from two other municipalities whose swimming pool has been closed for three years now. “We can see very clearly that they come from towns where there are no swimming pools nearby. They are restricted in learning to swim. The risk is failure in the swimming tests and risk of drowning”says David Kujawa, lifeguard at the Lomme swimming pool (North).

In France, one in three students does not know how to swim when they enter sixth grade. This year, Émilie, 9 years old, must rely on her evening classes for her learning. The swimming pool in his area is also closed. There will be no swimming with the school until next year. His mother ended up finding a niche for him, 10 km from her home.

Five swimming pools have closed in recent years in the Lille metropolis. Infrastructures that have become too dilapidated, like 40% of swimming pools in France. Of the 6,000 pools in the country, half were built in the 1970s. Throughout the country, aging equipment has become real financial sinkholes or is no longer in use.

Faced with the emergency, in the Lille metropolis, seven new swimming pools and an extension will be built. The first pool which is under construction will emerge from the ground in spring 2026. The community is responsible for 70% of the construction. 200 million euros invested in total. “Today, we must help communities. The municipalities can no longer ensure the construction of the swimming pool plus the operating deficit”indicates Éric Skyronka, vice-president of the Lille Metropolis in charge of sports and citizenship. According to the French Swimming Federation, around sixty additional swimming pools should be built in Hauts-de-France, 400 throughout the country.