SWIMMING competitions planned for the new £9.2m pool in Blackbird Leys could be at risk due to lack of space, it has been warned.

Although Oxford City Council said the Leys Pool and & Leisure Centre will be competition-standard, experts have said that only small galas will be able to run there.

Under Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) rules, there must be a minimum of 250 seats provided for competition pools.

The new pool, set to open in the new year, has this number of seats exactly, but swimming experts, including ASA officials, have warned it is not enough for the galas that normally take place in the city.

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Amanda Booth is the head coach at the City of Oxford Swimming Club, which was planning to use the Leys Pool for their open meet – which sees thousands of entrants – in July next year.

She said: “There’s no way there’s enough room or space on the pool deck. All clubs rely financially on being able to run a certain number of meets a year and we’re probably going to have some problems running open meets there.”

The club currently uses Temple Cowley Pool for its meets.

It has more floor space and bench-style seats so more than 250 people can fit in. In previous meets the club has seen about 350 people attend.

Ms Booth said: “This will make it very difficult to hold any competitions at a high level. We’re hoping the council will find a solution by July or we will have to find somewhere else.”

Peter Shaw, the secretary for the Oxfordshire and North Buckinghamshire Amateur Swimming Association (ONBASA), inspected the pool last month with coaches.

In a report he said: “Unfortunately we concluded unanimously that it will only be able to run a meet of 150 to 160 swimmers.”

According to the ONBASA, there is not enough seating for swimmers and spectators, meaning swimmers would have to cram into floor space around the pools while they wait their turn to compete.

Mr Shaw said: “At an arena gala with eight teams of approximately 40 swimmers from each club competing it would be impossible to accommodate both swimmers and spectators.”

He explained because officials need to take up one side of the pool to marshall the races there is less floor space available than the council thought.

Mr Shaw said the council would have to relocate spectators and provide a live feed of the races on a television screen, or put up temporary seating to accommodate swimmers.

As reported in the Oxford Mail, the city council’s board member for leisure Mike Rowley has consistently described the Leys Pool as a “new competition pool”.

Council spokesman Chof-amba Sithole said: “The ASA, Sport England and the City of Oxford Swimming Club were involved as stakeholders and consultees throughout the process regarding the design and function of the facility.

“We recognise the views that some may have around wanting a bigger pool or to hold more competitions.

“However, the purpose of this pool has always been one that not only provides a facility where competitions can be held but also balances this with providing the key function of an accessible general swimming pool for the wider community.

“The discussions with ONBASA were very positive and they enquired whether it was possible to add additional benches on poolside to accommodate much larger competitions.

“The council and leisure operator Fusion are considering this suggestion.”

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