Plaid Cymru’s Member of the Senedd for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Mabon ap Gwynfor, believes the pool would allow the next generation of Welsh swimming talent to train closer to home.
He paid tribute in the Senedd to Porthmadog’s star swimmer, Medi Harris, who competed at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Mr Gwynfor said an Olympic-sized pool in North Wales would help up-and-coming swimmers reach their potential, providing training opportunities for those in areas such as Gwynedd and Ynys Môn.
The only Olympic-sized pools in Wales are currently in Cardiff and Swansea, meaning many swimmers from North Wales travel to Liverpool or Manchester to train and compete.
Mr Gwynfor said: “Swimming and indeed all aquatic sports should be available to everybody, wherever they live across Wales.
“It is vital that investment in sporting facilities and emerging sporting talent are fairly distributed across Wales.
“As it stands, swimmers from North Wales must travel south to Cardiff or Swansea or across the border to Liverpool or Manchester to train in 50m Olympic-sized pools.
“This places undue pressure on swimmers, especially in the run-up to competitions or events, not to mention the added burden of travelling to and from these locations.
“The thought of having to travel up to five hours to train is enough to put some people off pursuing their ambitions.”
He highlighted the success of elite swimmers such as Ms Harris from Borth y Gest, Porthmadog, as evidence of the potential within the community.
He questioned how many more swimmers could become elite athletes if they had access to training facilities closer to home.
He said: “Establishing an Olympic-sized swimming pool in North Wales is long overdue.
“Both elite and up-and-coming swimmers living across North Wales deserve access to the most suitable training facilities for their sport.
“Our home-grown sporting talent should be afforded every opportunity to fulfil their potential and should not be dissuaded from pursuing their ambitions because of a lack of access to training facilities.
“I therefore call on the Welsh Government to work with partners in North Wales to explore how this can be achieved.”
