Canadian Olympic Trials Seeking New Venue after Montreal Olympic Park Fire

Photo Courtesy: Michael P. Hall/Swimming Canada

Canadian Olympic Trials Seeking New Venue after Montreal Olympic Park Fire

Fire damage at Montreal’s Olympic Park is causing an extended closure of its pool, which is forcing Swimming Canada to relocate Olympic Trials next month.

The Olympic Park complex will be closed for four to six months to repair damage from a fire last month, it announced in a statement Wednesday.

Swimming Canada released a brief statement about the extended closure Wednesday night. It said it is, “working on contingency plans to host the Olympic & Paralympic Trials.”

“Our top priority is to maintain a Montreal-area Trials on the original dates of May 13-19,” the organization wrote. “We will provide more information as soon as we are able to do so.”

A fire broke out on March 21 at the base of the Olympic Stadium tower, causing what the CBC characterized as “significant damage.” A first closure to the facility, including the pool, was slated to last through April 2. Damage has proven more significant, however, with heavy smoke infiltration and watering affecting all 14 floors of the tower as well as offices. There is no structural damage to the building and no injures were reported in the fire.

More than 4,000 people use the facility regularly, including 250-350 Olympic and Paralympic athletes that use it as a training base. Swimming Canada’s Paralympic program is based there and has been training at alternate locations. In a longer statement released on Thursday, the organization said it would continued to work with partners at the Institut National du Sports du Quebec to continue those athletes’ training.

“We know that day-by-day plans for an Olympic and Paralympic year are laid out months in advance,” Swimming Canada Acting CEO Suzanne Paulins said. “We are also aware that, with Trials less than six weeks away, most participants have booked travel to, and accommodations in, Montreal. We are working hard on contingency plans to hold the event in Montreal on the scheduled dates of May 13-19.”

Swimming Canada will convene next week for the Speedo Canadian Open at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, which hosted trials in 2021. Trials are slated for May 13-19.

The status of tickets purchased for the event at Montreal Olympic Park is still being determined, the organization said, until a location is selected and a seating plan set out.

“We know our athletes are resilient and adaptable, and so is our staff,” Paulins said. “We are doing our best to minimize disruption, and confident in our ability to deliver a first-class swim meet that sets us up for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

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