The 30th anniversary of the Loulé Municipal Swimming Pools will be marked on September 11th with a get-together and a fire show. The get-together on “The history and stories of the 30 years of Loulé Municipal Swimming Pools” is scheduled for 21:00 pm and, at 23:30 pm, the Satori Artistic Association presents “Aqua Complexo”.
As the Loulé Chamber explains, the get-together, which, just like the fire show takes place in the swimming pools, “is an initiative dedicated to the history, stories, affections, milestones and the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of this installation. sports'.
Admission to both events is free.
Learn more about Loulé Municipal Swimming Pools:
It was in the early 60s that a group of Loulé enthusiasts promoted the idea of building, in the then town of Loulé, a swimming pool, at a time when the Algarve region was very poor in sports infrastructure. In this sense, the first steps were taken. But the lack of interest from people with greater economic power was combined with the disbelief of the enthusiasts who, with a lack of funds, saw their dream fall to the ground.
With the arrival of the 25th of April and with the sporting dynamism that the revolutionary process extended to the whole country, the project for the construction of the swimming pools also reached a new lease of life. In the late 70s, the idea finally began to take shape. With João Simões (Gonito) in charge of the Culture and Sports department of the City Council, a vast number of contacts were initiated with the General Directorate of Sports, aimed at implementing the project.
The hypothesis of building a 12,5mx25m tank, with the possibility of being covered, in the short term and with reduced costs, was the victorious consequence of a successful marathon effort. But after discussing the project, the Municipality of Loulé, then presided over by Critóvão Mealha, opted for the construction of a 50-metre Olympic swimming pool, making the possibility of covering it more remote.
The work was awarded to a company for twenty thousand contos, and took shape during the presidency of Mendes Bota, a period during which the Olympic jumping pool, the children's pool and the entire surrounding leisure area were added to the initial idea. inaugurated in June 1986, during the term of President José Cavaco.
The new swimming pool had an amazing success in the summer months and the swimming schools hosted around 1000 students. Some of the major swimming events nationwide began to take place at the Loulé Pools. For all these reasons, the construction of an indoor swimming pool became imperative.
The project advanced, with an undertaking covering an area of more than 1.600 m2 and involving, in addition to a 25mx12,5m indoor pool, a learning tank for children, a jumping training area and other complementary equipment. On November 13, 1993, the indoor pools were finally completed and inaugurated by President Joaquim Vairinhos.
The Municipality of Loulé says that the Municipal Swimming Pools «constitute a highly modern equipment, with great dynamics and versatility, which fits all the aspects of water activities: recreation, leisure, habituation, adaptation, learning, training, synchronization, competitive swimming and water polo . These activities correspond not only to the interests of the municipality's school and sports populations, but also to the interests of the population in general».
The complex has, according to the municipality, «with modern complementary equipment: trampolines from one to three meters, counter-current pump, underwater sound and underwater displays. There are also facilities that allow medical support to be provided on site. In addition to the aquatic equipment, various resources are made available that contribute to the development of the users' physical well-being: sauna, jacuzzi, Turkish bath and massage room».
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