With the Birmingham Commonwealth Games looming, the NZ Government seems prepared to reconsider its stance over access and use of public swimming pools as soon as next week.
Pool facilities were due to open when Auckland and Waikato moved to COVID-19 Alert 3, step two next Wednesday, but were taken off the list at the 11th hour.
With the Games just months away, many of our elite swimmers and triathletes face the prospect of missing selection.
Auckland’s state-of-the-art swimming facility has laid empty for three months now, the calm water no reflection of the mood
"I'm angry and bitter and twisted at the moment - and frustrated," says SwimTastic founder and chief executive Mark Bone.
Just as Bone was at the starting blocks, the Government blew the whistle for a false start. For our athletes, it’s now a race against time.
"I’m really concerned about the health and wellbeing of our elite athletes, and their preparation for the Commonwealth Games," says Bone. "It's going to have major consequences, physically mentally and financially.
Gold Coast Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Lewis Clareburt is one of those anxious.
"Listen to the athletes," he says. "Give them an opportunity to chase their dreams... and represent New Zealand on the world stage, hopefully, next year and do everyone proud."
The Ministry of Health seems to have heard their pleas.
"We’re happy to consider everything at all times," says public health director Dr Caroline McElnay. "We do look at these situations very specifically and then provide our assessment of what the risk is."
Bone believes the risk is minimal - COVID doesn't like chlorine and conditions can be controlled.
"If you do it right, you come in masked and you get straight into the pool, then you're in a safe environment," he insists.
Clareburt insists there must be action, because the impact on high performance athletes is underestimated.
"They say every week out of the pool is two weeks to get back to where you were," he says. "If you're three months out of the pool, you could be slogging away for six months just to get back to the fitness you were at."
Olympic triathlete Ainsley Thorpe fears her chances of Commonwealth Games selection are getting slimmer by the day.
"We train months or years," she says. "One or two months to prepare for what could be a major race for us is not enough time.”
Says Bone: "Let us open up and allow access."
Maybe now, there's light at the end of the lane.
