The Tongelreep and Ir. Ottenbad swimming baths have scrapped recreational swimming activities for the rest of the year due to staff shortages.
Regular swimming sessions will continue, but recreational activities such as ‘Aquarobics’ and ‘Aqua Jogging’ classes will be scrapped from 4 October.
‘There was already a shortage of qualified staff before the corona crisis,’ says a spokesperson for Eindhoven Sport. ‘Now that the 1.5 metre distance rule has been scrapped, the pressure has only increased. Due to the staff shortage, it is no longer possible to offer some activities safely. Therefore, we are unfortunately forced to reduce our timetable’.
The popular ‘baantjes zwemmen’ (swimming lanes) session will also be held less regularly.
The reduced timetable is currently expected to last until 2 January 2022.
Safety
‘We want to bring our full offer back as soon as possible, but this is dependent on how quickly we can recruit new, fully qualified, staff,’ says Eindhoven Sport. ‘Hiring qualified staff is very important, so that visitors can swim safely at all times. We are doing everything we can to recruit new staff.’
Eindhoven Sport emphasises that there are still many activities that can continue. For example, all regular swimming lessons, pregnancy swimming and ‘meer bewegen voor ouderen’ (an exercise class for older people) will all continue as normal.
International Swimming League
The swimming lanes sessions had already been cancelled at the Tongelreep in November, due to the International Swimming League competition. Several swimming associations expressed their frustration at the news last year, as it meant that they would have to find other (smaller) places to train for the month. Harold Matla from PSV said last year, ‘we can’t do any training or competitions for the whole month. Cup matches had been planned for the water polo teams. Now these have to be relocated or postponed. We also can’t prepare well for the championships in December, because we can’t train for a month. These are just a few of the many consequences.’
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translation: Rachael Vickerman
