New Victoria Park pool opens

Gold medallists took a demo dip.

According to a report, Four Olympic gold medallists from the national diving team gave a demonstration at a ceremony to mark the opening of the new Victoria Park Swimming Pool last 24 November.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam also unveiled a plaque at the ceremony, a highlight event of "Vibrant Hong Kong" under the "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign.

The four Olympic gold medallists - Wu Minxia, He Zi, Chen Ruolin and Qin Kai - joined local diving athletes Xie Zhen, Sharon Chan and other members of the Hong Kong diving team in a masterful display of their skills.
Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing said the new pool was expected to draw more international swimming events to Hong Kong. He believed the new complex would benefit aquatic sports development and help elevate the city's status as an Asian hub for major sports events.

He also thanked China's General Administration of Sport for arranging for the four world-renowned Mainland diving athletes to give demonstrations today along with Hong Kong diving athletes.

A short-course relay race and a synchronised swimming performance were also arranged.

The new Victoria Park Swimming Pool provides a 50-metre by 25-metre main pool as well as a 33-metre by 25-metre multi-purpose pool, both equipped with a movable floor to adjust water depth.

The main pool is fitted with a movable bulkhead to divide the areas for short-course races, while the multi-purpose pool provides diving platforms and springboards of various heights which meet international standards for diving training and competitions.

The old pool is now being demolished and the site will be used to reprovision the handball court and skating rinks that were demolished a few years ago to make way for the new pool's construction. A special exhibition with historical photos and information as well as a video production is on show at the ground floor of the new pool complex until the end of February.