The San Juan Natatorium: A State-of-the-Art Water Sports Complex in Puerto Rico

The San Juan Natatorium: a state-of-the-art water sports complex in Puerto Rico

The San Juan Natatorium is the only multipurpose and versatile sports and training complex in Puerto Rico that provides a suitable full-featured sport facility to carry out local and international competitions for different aquatic sports (swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo). It was built using combined funds (local and section 108). A total of $20,677,136.02 (section 108 funds) were used in the construction of the facility. An additional $8 million were used from local sources.

The facility includes the following:

• 50 meters Olympic Pool convertible to 2x25mts, with (10) lanes, 5mts wide, and starting blocks
• Adjustable Floor from 9' to 0" for handicap therapy
• (1) Diving Pool with 3, 7.5 y 10mts boards and 1mts to 3mts springboards
• Gym
• Rooms for classes, conferences and seminars
• 4 Concessionaries
• Daktronics Electronic Board
• Underwater sound system
• Master Control Salon
• Reception, Lobby and Ticket Area
• Access Control
• Capacity for 2,000 people (sitting)
• 1,800 removable seats
• Bathrooms, Showers, and Locker Room

As a public facility, the Natatorium is open to all the residents of the City of San Juan. The Sports and Recreation Department has established use requirements to guarantee that users of the facility are in good health and are capable. Since its opening, the City of San Juan Natatorium has been used free of charge by low income persons. Recent statistics show that 60% of the users are at or below low income. During program year 2008, a total of 65,000 persons used the facility. In addition to the general public, the facility is open to all public and private schools of San Juan. Recent statistics show that 30% of all users are students.

The San Juan Natatorium: a state-of-the-art water sports complex in Puerto Rico

The San Juan Natatorium: a state-of-the-art water sports complex in Puerto Rico

The Natatorium, administered by the Sports and Recreation Department of the City of San Juan is geared to:

• Promote and increase participation in water sports;
• Improve health, prevent and reduce life-threatening diseases by providing access to cardiovascular aquatic activities and promote aquatic sports;
• Develop water skills for youth and other adult population;
• Contribute to excellence in aquatic sports and stimulate participation in national and world competitions, by providing a "World-Class Facility";
• Develop a sense of community for the citizens of San Juan by sharing this unique facility.

The Natatorium is used for swimming competition events. During the last three years, the facility has been used for multiple local and international competitions. During 2010, the facility will hold the swimming competition of the Special Olympics. In addition, various colleges and universities from Puerto Rico and the U.S.A. mainland use the facility for training purposes. To accommodate this use, some lanes of the swimming pool are reserved for the practicing teams, allowing the general public to continue using the facility. Among the universities form the mainland that have used the facility we can name: West Point, Regent, Harvard, Umass, Wisconsin, Michigan, Yale, Trinity and Amherst. Thefacilities host meetings held by the Puerto Rico Athletic Alliance, the League of Catholic Schools, Interuniversity League Competition (LAI), ACUACOOP, Junior and National Swimming Federation (FNPR), among others.

###

Content Archived: January 2, 2014